But for this journey, I'm realizing that's just plain ridiculous. The whole point of this blog is based on what I DON'T know.
In fact, coming to the book of 1 Corinthians as if I were an expert is like Adam and Eve realizing they are naked and putting on those ridiculous fig leaves.
Sorry, the silliness of this has my sarcastic side imagining God saying, "OMS (oh my Self)! I never knew you were naked! "
In my case, when I feel I don't measure up and I want to avoid God, my fig leaves of choice are homemade, dark chocolate chip cookies.
Besides, they are made with the very best ingredients: whole wheat flour, organic sugar, organic chocolate chips.
There's nothing wrong with the ingredients, or even the cookie. There's just something wrong with the thinking behind what they are for.
It's like a kindergartener breaking their arm and thinking a popsicle will magically heal the broken bone.
So here I am backtracking. I Corinthians... I can't get past verse 7 this morning. Referring to yesterday's post, my amazing friend Robin responded on facebook, "Just beautiful!! I noticed and then went back and put me in it!! Love that. Happy birthday to your beautiful, sweet Mama"
My fig leaf ripped and left me a little exposed. I wrote back, "Robin Peterson, so cool you put your name in! True confession? I haven't put my name in yet. Guess I better go do that and practice what I'm learning, huh? Thanks for the challenge!"
So here I am this morning. I Cor 1:4-7 (and on to verse 9 as well) I'm making this a personal prayer:
I thank you, my God, always concerning, um, myself for the grace of You, God, which was given me in You, Christ Jesus, 5that in everything I was enriched in You, in all speech and all knowledge, 6even as the testimony concerning You was confirmed in me, 7so that I am not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of you, my Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will also confirm me to the end, blameless in the day of my Lord Jesus Christ. 9God, You are faithful, through whom I was called into fellowship with Your Son, Jesus Christ my Lord.
As I clunk awkwardly through this transition, I'm blown away. How many times the name of Jesus runs over my lips.
I have to break this down. I need to think.
I thank you, my God, always concerning, um, myself so very hard to do... Why should I not thank him for myself? AAARGH! So hard to write! So uncomfortable. So embarrassing. He has given me myself. I feel exposed. Where is my fig leaf! I can't think why I'm so upset with this, but I could have given him so much more. He could have given himself so much more.
....myself for the grace of You, God, which was given me in You, Christ Jesus there it is. Grace. Somehow, when You see me, You see your son. We are covered. No need for fig leaves. There's no shame in our nakedness when the relationship is the groom loving his bride. Hmmm... I have to look: Gen 3:21 says, "The Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." It doesn't say, but I can't help but wonder if maybe the skin was lambskin. Covered in Christ, our passover lamb? You hung totally, embarrassingly exposed on the cross... for us... for me.
Why do we pretend that wasn't hard for you?
that in everything everything. I guess if you said "everything" then you meant, well, every-thing. that in everything I was enriched in You I was... past tense. Done deal. I have been enriched in You! In! You!
in all speech and all knowledge I know this is in the context of the whole body, but that body is accessible to ME! The hand is not the hair, but it can shampoo, dry and style the hair. The mouth feeds even the foot. THIS IS SO COOL!
even as the testimony concerning You was confirmed in me, The first hand account about what Jesus did is made true IN ME!
This next phrase deserves some white space!
so that I am not lacking in any gift
On day one, I promised to read this at face value. "If God said it, then he meant it." So... if he says I'm not lacking in any gift, then (in the context of being part of this body) I am not lacking any gift! His peace, security, purpose, confidence, wisdom, healing, _____________fill in the blank! If He said "ANY" then, that means ANY! Otherwise, He's a liar or a fool and not worth following.
awaiting eagerly the revelation of you, my Lord Jesus Christ, Am I? eagerly waiting? Am I excitedly anticipating the fact that you will reveal yourself, Lord Jesus? Or am I hiding behind fig leaves dreading the sound of your footsteps.... Do I GET it? What you did? Grace? Do I even have a clue yet? Lord Jesus, please show me this.
who will also confirm me to the end, blameless in the day of my Lord Jesus Christ. OH MY GOD! Literally! Passionately. OH MY WORD! Before I sat down to come to this phrase, YOU set me up! Thinking about fig leaves, Genesis, blame and shame, the lamb, the covering, YOU CLOTHE ME! .... it's all right there in that one word blameless . Not just blameless, but blameless in the day.... YOUR day, not night. YOUR day, the day YOU created. YOU own it. On the day you come, the day that I would otherwise dread, YOU present me. You do it all! It's too much.
God, You are faithful, through whom I was called into fellowship with Your Son, Jesus Christ my Lord.
I have just seen my lifetime CALLING!!!! Do you see it? "I was called into fellowship with Jesus Christ my Lord!!!!!!! " That fellowship with Jesus is my specific calling!
All the rest is fig leaves.
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