the deficit view, not the way Christ sees it

I posted not too long ago about wondering how Christ sees things, and wanting vision more like Him. That post is here.

Well, I think I might understand a bit better how He does NOT see things.

We were studying some aspects of education, and there was the realization that policy makers first "identify problems," and then craft their solution accordingly to "fix that problem." In essence, it is a deficit view. You come at something realizing it's broken, needs fixing, and then proceed from there.

I was reading in Hebrews, and the context is where the text talks about the New Covenant. Not one of laws and regulations, but one of Christ, who paid for all sins by His suffering on the cross. The verse that hit me was

"The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus..."(Hebrews 9:15-19 NIV)

"I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds..."

It's as if the Truth is on every one of our hearts and minds already. Sinners around the earth already have Truth engraved in them, whether they like it or not, or acknowledge it or not.

I think God sees in us deeply and most clearly the Truth He has written in our hearts. Some of that may be obscured sometimes by our flesh and evil acts (Romans 7)...but Jesus sees the beauty of His laws and Truth in us.

Getting at understanding this, I think it's a model for us to look at and love others. Christ's compassion on us is that Truth is already on our hearts. He affords us the immeasurable and amazing grace to "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

ALL of us are broken...

Like it or not, we all have brokenness. If you are a "good" person, bad person, immoral, moral, Black, White, Latino, male, female, from the South, from Zimbabwe, from the North pole...you can't escape the fact that you are broken in one way or another.

No single person, Christ follower or not, can escape brokenness. It's part of our human condition. Of course, our brokenness plays out in different ways. Some people have abusive spouses, or have for years suffered heartbreak from relationships. Some are looking to be affirmed and go looking in the wrong places and thus get disappointed. Some are afflicted with disease or trauma. Some have empty family relationships. Some seek wealth, only to find that it doesn't really satisfy. There are many more types of brokenness.

I'm not always Captain Observant, but I don't think it's hard for anyone to see that every individual in some way or another, has both shallow and deep hurts that are part of that person's identity. Some people are good at concealing them, lying about them, and projecting an image of "got-it-togetherness", or "I'm-ok-ness". But the fact of the matter is we're all broken.

I think brokenness is closely related to sin, and Paul tells us "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23 NIV).

We're all broken. And so we all need fixing. Again, I think many people attempt to use the wrong tools and remedies to fix both the shallow and deep brokenness that is inherently part of them.

Not by arrogance, but by grace, those who identify and understand the gift found in Jesus have a way to deal with their brokenness. And the ironic thing is, the more humble and honest a person is about their own brokenness, the greater the work Christ can do in that person to heal whatever the brokenness may be.

He is the Greatest Handy-Man. He knows how to fix it all. And it is genuine and it works!

"On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:12-13 NIV)

GOOD Friday from Scripture...

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:23-27 NIV)

We are to deny ourselves and bear our cross each day...

"Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:16-17, 28-30)

Jesus didn't just TELL us to take up our cross, He DID it, changing our lives and the world forever...

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:8-10 NIV)

And still today, Jesus wants nothing more than to purify us and make us holy. The meaning of the cross becomes greater and greater as we recognize more and more our own depravity.

Maundy Thursday in pictures...

this sequence of events seems to happen regularly in our modern day,

not just once 2000 years ago...

What grace that we can share in fellowship with Jesus and that He offers to wash us clean again and again, despite the gravity of our sin in which we betray Him over and over again. How often we're just like Judas, in it for personal gain at the expense of the Lord.

We have an incredible Lord VERY WORTHY of all our PRAISE and DEVOTION!!