{"id":1196,"date":"2012-07-29T16:19:40","date_gmt":"2012-07-29T21:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.bottlerockettheology.com\/?p=1196"},"modified":"2012-07-29T16:19:40","modified_gmt":"2012-07-29T21:19:40","slug":"willing-to-stumble-in-jesus-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dave.dlscott.info\/?p=1196","title":{"rendered":"Willing to stumble in Jesus’ name …"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Excerpt Beyond Pretend: A Sheep’s Guide to the Universe<\/a>!]<\/p>\n

Be willing to stumble.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes our pride …<\/strong>
\nSometimes our pride keeps us from following Christ through the difficult territory. We fall and he picks us up, but we don\u2019t want to be seen with our clothes still dirty and torn, our lip cut, and maybe a few tears we haven\u2019t brushed away yet. Sometimes we fall because we sin, but sometimes we fall because of the hate of the enemy. Job was God\u2019s pick-of-the-litter and cream of the crop, and God allowed Satan to beat him up and embarrass him in front of the whole countryside. He stumbled, screamed and threw a fit, but he always directed his thoughts toward God. Through all his anger and distress, he always moved in the direction of God.<\/p>\n

“This is what we<\/em> believe …”<\/strong>
\nBut for many of us our perspective of victory in the Christian life has no biblical roots. We accept only what we signed on for, upward and onward and well-played scenarios in our minds where we assume the roles of Christian super-heroes praying our way past the fiery darts of the enemy. We didn\u2019t sign up for the ugly stuff, not so much into following Jesus if we can\u2019t look good doing it. We have yet to learn that style points are overrated and pale in comparison to sheer faithfulness and determination to please our God. We haven\u2019t learned the value of stumbling, even crawling, in Jesus\u2019 name.<\/p>\n

Think about it.<\/strong>
\nHow did Jesus himself do with style points? Beaten, bloodied and humiliated he made his way through the streets of Jerusalem to the shame of a cross.<\/p>\n

A lesson from Felix Mendelssohn in stumbling.<\/strong>
\nI was listening to WILL our local NPR station one day and they were interviewing someone discussing Felix Mendelssohn and his struggle in writing his Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64. The account given was that he felt as if he were \u201cfumbling\u201d along.\u00a0 They went on to discuss how insecure and unsure he was. But what was the result of his fumbling, his insecurity and unsurety? One of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time. So if you can\u2019t march and you can\u2019t run, then stumble forward in Jesus\u2019 name. You may have to change your clothes as we\u2019ve seen that pride doesn\u2019t wear so well in these situations. But if you throw on some humility and work through the tears and pain, you will taste the excellent fruit of righteousness.<\/p>\n

Grinding it out.<\/strong>
\nIn sports they talk about the athletes who know how to \u201cgrind it out,\u201d do the grunt work, because they know the reward.\u00a0 Sometimes our sky-high inspiration yields great work, but often we just grind and plod. We press toward the smile of God and provide a perfect opportunity for Christ to show his strength.<\/p>\n