The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know – if you’ve ever picked the scab of a sore place. It hurts like billy, oh, but it is such fun to see it coming away.
– C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Devastate
1: to bring to ruin or desolation by violent action
2: to reduce to chaos, disorder, or helplessness : Overwhelming, Overpowering, Irresistible
Oh beloved, it is true. Have no doubt, when we first became members of the family of G_d, there began an Act of devastation in our lives. Upon trusting Christ for His work on the cross, the Holy Spirit took up a dwelling place in our being. And in taking up residence He began a relentless pursuit of every aspect of our lives.
As needed, He will slash, burn, crush, ruin, and bring chaos to our lives in order to bring us into a right relationship with Him. Said simply, He devastates us. Oh, some of us fight it for years. But, He will be the Fire inside us burning away the dross of that old man. He will make us one with Him – or kill us in the making. It’s terrible. It’s awesome. It’s epic.
We whimper and cry. He comforts us for a moment, and then goes back to hammering away at ANYTHING that is not Him in our lives. “Oh G_D, PLEASE STOP!,” we say. But – thankfully – He will not and does not.
He kills us, and then He tears us out of ourselves… alive! We wake up panting as if having just run a sprint in a dream. And suddenly everything is so quiet, so beautiful. We simply understand the underpinning principle of the universe: It is all about Him. And HE is not only devastating, He is devastatingly beautiful.
Then, for each of us (if we live), the new creation we truly are comes to the forefront. We are called many things in the New Testament: Tents, Vessels, Jars, Ambassadors, Instruments, and Weapons. And all of these are for, by, through, and in Him. We become privileged creatures imbued with the very same devastating beauty that destroyed the old ugliness of the past. Our lives literally shine forth this devastation into the world. And it is a beauty against which the gates of hell cannot stand.
Can we see it? The devastated old man of Romans 7 becomes the devastatingly loved, devastatingly beautiful, Spirit-filled over-comer of Romans 8 that can never be separated from the One that has made him that way. It’s not even a contest any more.
G_d wins.
So the next time that old liar, the devil, the adversary tries to tell you that you are just a wreck; that your life is just devastated, tell him, “yeah, and i hope my Savior doesn’t stop. He’s kicking at the darkness in my life and it’s starting to bleed daylight! You don’t like light, do you devil? Go away now. you are dismissed. Christ is busy here and you are not welcome.”
G_d will do it beloved. Let Him! Don’t wait! You can literally shine forth the Light of Creation through every bit of you. It is devastatingly beautiful to a darkened world.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
~ Matthew 5:14-16
This is really encouraging! Thanks Makala! I loved the bit that says this: "tell him, yeah, and i hope my Savior doesn't stop." I need to do more of that instead of listen to his lies! I really appreciate that! 🙂