Christ My Pattern

"And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have." -2 Corinthians 8:10-12

I sat at the table, fumbling with emotions, words, thoughts, and a pencil that I wish could write what was so heavy on my heart. Right responses in circumstances...questions filled my mind. There is so much that scares me, what is my response supposed to be? Am I saying no to the flame that is molding and refining me? Dare my pen write these frights as thankfulness? But it does. That is the right response. I begin to write His promises and truths He says about my life. I write prayers. I cry out, I seek Him in His Word. Why am I here? I was headed for 2 Corinthians 10, the foundation of what this whole trip was kind of formed on for me, and the Lord stops me in chapter eight. In the Message it reads this (sometimes I need Jesus in plain English):

"...so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too. I’m not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians’ enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands. This isn’t so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written,
Nothing left over to the one with the most
Nothing lacking to the one with the least."

I read this and my eyes filled with tears, and my heart became so overwhelmed by Him. That is the voice of truth which tells me a different story, and to not be afraid; that this is for His glory. My soul finds rest and peace in Him tonight. I pray I am faithful to this chapter.
Much of our Christian walk with Christ is successful in the patterns we create. A pattern of worship, of prayer, of thanksgiving...etc. Much of our relationship to Christ is Him saying to us, don't do as I say, do as I do. This is a lifestyle we pattern after. A Father doesn't say, "Don't go that way." Instead, He takes us by the hand, and says come this way, lets walk together through this. He doesn't condemn, guilt or shame. It is through patterns that we prepare the way of the Lord.
When we count who we are in Jesus Christ our Savior, and keep showing up to under the sun things with an above the sun view we achieve much for Christ and all for His glory. His faithfulness to us produces our faithfulness to what He has called us too. He sure has been faithful to me. Though I'm weak, and tired I come after Him. I keep showing up to His courts with praise; it's all I know to do, and He sings over this mess of a child. He sings victory, and strength over me. He has equipped each for the mission ahead. Jesus didn't quit His mission, He declared when it was finished on the cross. If Christ is to be our pattern, the end result is the cross ultimately. John Piper states in his book about missionary Adoniram Judson this:

"Suffering was not just a consequence of the Master’s obedience
and mission. It was the central strategy of his mission. It
was the ground of his accomplishment. Jesus calls us to join
him on the Calvary road, to take up our cross, and to hate
our lives in this world, and fall into the ground like a seed
and die, that others might live. We are not above our Master.
To be sure, our suffering does not atone for anyone’s sins, but
it is a deeper way of doing missions than we often realize."

Continuing in His mission, on the path set before me with Christ as my pattern until it is finished.