and sharing our hearts as we page through
for Sinners and Sufferers
by Dane Ortlund.
His yoke is kind and his burden is light. That is, his yoke is a nonyoke, and his burden is a nonburden. What helium does to a balloon, Jesus' yoke does to his followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness. He doesn't simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need. He never tires of sweeping us into his tender embrace. It is his very heart. It is what gets him out of bed in the morning. {23}
Our tendency is to feel intuitively that the more difficult life gets, the more alone we are. As we sink further into pain, we sink further into felt isolation. The Bible corrects us. Our pain never outstrips what he himself shares in. We are never alone. That sorrow that feels so isolating, so unique, was endured by him in the past and is now shouldered by him in the present. {48}
When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because he will know just how to receive us. He doesn't handle us roughly. He doesn't scowl and scold. He doesn't lash out, the way many of our parents did. And all this restraint on his part is not because he has a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people ... rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, he gets down with us, he puts his arm around us, he deals with us in the way that is just what we need. {54-55}
Perhaps it isn't sins so much as sufferings that cause some of us to question the perseverance of the heart of Christ. As pain piles up, as numbness takes over, as the months go by, at some point the conclusion seems obvious: we have been cast out. Surely this is not what life would feel like for one who has been buried in the heart of a gentle and lowly Savior? But Jesus does not say that those with pain-free lives are never cast out. He says those who come to him are never cast out. It is not what life brings to us but to whom we belong that determines Christ's heart of love for us. {64-65}
Our 4 week Book Club continues next Sunday as we focus on chapters 7 - 12. It's not too late to get your own personal copy of Gentle & Lowly ➜
$14.75
Linda
May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
- 1 Peter 3:18
"He says those who come to him are never cast out. It is not what life brings to us but to whom we belong that determines Christ's heart of love for us. {64-65}" Love that!!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that phrase, 'to whom we belong' feel like a warm blanket on a cold night?! We are secure in His love no matter how hard the storms hit us.
DeleteI am so grateful.
I know that Jesus said he is meek and lowly, but when people start talking about that side of him, I am afraid they're going to de-emphasize his holiness, majesty, anger at sin, etc. I love how Dane brings out that it's not either/or, or emphasizing one trait above another, but he is all of his attributes equally.
ReplyDeleteSome of the quotes you mentioned were some that stood out to me, too. Here are a few more:
“The point in saying that Jesus is lowly is that he is accessible. For all his resplendent glory and dazzling holiness, his supreme uniqueness and otherness, no one in human history has ever been more approachable than Jesus Christ" (p. 20 in the Kindle version).
“This is not who he is to everyone, indiscriminately. This is who he is for those who come to him, who take his yoke upon them, who cry to him for help" (p. 21. Kindle version).
“'Gentle and lowly' does not mean 'mushy and frothy.'” (p. 21, Kindle).
"He does not get flustered and frustrated when we come to him for fresh forgiveness, for renewed pardon, with distress and need and emptiness. That’s the whole point. It’s what he came to heal. He went down into the horror of death and plunged out through the other side in order to provide a limitless supply of mercy and grace to his people" (p. 36).
“Whatever our offense, he deals gently with us. If we never come to him, we will experience a judgment so fierce it will be like a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth at us (Rev. 1: 16; 2: 12; 19: 15, 21). If we do come to him, as fierce as his lion-like judgment would have been against us, so deep will be his lamb-like tenderness for us (cf. Rev. 5: 5–6; Isa. 40: 10–11). We will be enveloped in one or the other. To no one will Jesus be neutral” (p. 53, K).
“Our redemption is not a matter of a gracious Son trying to calm down an uncontrollably angry Father. The Father himself ordains our deliverance. He takes the loving initiative” (p. 61).
That 'mushy and frothy' quote is a good one, Barbara. Jesus is no namby pamby weakling in any sense of the word. I've heard that gentleness is strength under control. He could have called 10,000 angels to deliver Him on the cross but He knew what He came for.
DeleteThat kind of love is simply beyond human comprehension. What a wonderful Savior.
"We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness."
ReplyDeleteI so needed and need this book, Linda. I've never read words/descriptions before that have drawn me closer to Jesus, knowing He is gentle and humble in heart. This book is certainly a blessing!
I agree, Martha. Especially in the rough and tough and nasty world we live in, more than ever we are thirsting for One who is gentle and kind ... even as He is just and powerful.
DeleteWhat grace that 'when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.'
Praise God, this is one of the first things I learned about Jesus. Matt 11:28-30 hit me like a thunder bolt as a new believer. Because I am my worst critic, Jesus taught me to chill, confess and move on. He also used this whole concept to help me accept others as they are.
ReplyDeleteNot to sure about “it is what gets him out of bed in the morning.” JESUS SLEEPS? Just a saying but it rattles my understanding of his omnipresence.
'Jesus taught me to chill, confess and move on. He also used this whole concept to help me accept others as they are.'
DeleteIn this one line, I'm reminded again how deeply God has used you in my life as a spiritual mentor. For dozens of years. I'm beyond grateful that He continues to hold us close, Buds.
xo
He says those who come to him are never cast out.
ReplyDeleteAnd therein lies our security, our peace, our joy ...
DeleteKindness seems to be missing from our vocabulary these days. Beautiful words for what so many of us are yearning for, Linda!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
I'm yearning for kindness more and more ... to be there, to offer it, to focus on the One who gives this fruit of the spirit.
Delete"Our tendency is to feel intuitively that the more difficult life gets, the more alone we are. As we sink further into pain, we sink further into felt isolation." There is a big difference between faith and feelings. My sorrow can be so deep that I don't feel God's peace or closeness, though I know He is there and is in control. I have to live by what I believe, not what I feel.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, thanks for reminding us to live by faith, not by feelings. Too often it's the reverse and we wonder why we're not growing, healing, or finding peace.
DeleteYou know I value your honesty even as I grieve your pain.
It is my pain, too, little sister.
xo
Linda, there are so many powerful and poignant statements in these chapters, it's hard to choose only a few. I especially love how Ortlund describes what gentleness looks like--"Jesus is not trigger happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms."
ReplyDeleteAnd then when he's talking about Jesus' solidarity with us: "It is not only that Jesus can relieve us from our troubles, like a doctor prescribing medicine; it is also that, before any relief comes, he is with us in our troubles, like a doctor who has endured the same disease."
Also eye-opening was how Ortlund points out that we often "project onto Jesus our skewed instincts about how the world works" because "Our natural inclination can only give us a God like us." Our finite, human minds have trouble comprehending how He responds to us because that is not how we are. I never thought about it like this before, but it makes so much sense.
Oh yes, Lois! Aren't you so glad that Jesus is not trigger happy, harsh, reactionary, and easily exasperated like so many of us. That He opens His arms instead of waving His finger is such grace. That He doesn't grow weary of us amazes me.
DeleteThis is so far beyond me that I can't quite grasp it, yet I celebrate it. What a wonderful Savior.
Like Lois said, there are so many powerful and poignant statements, it's hard to choose. I love the thought of Jesus not dispensing His grace to us from above but His getting down with us and putting His arm around us to supply our needs. So comforting. Also how His posture is open arms, not a pointing finger. One I will add from page 22 is "Only as we drink down the kindness of the heart of Christ will we leave in our wake, everywhere we go, the aroma of heaven." Amen! Thank you for this book club, Linda. :) Love and blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteAnd if ever the 'aroma of heaven' was needed, it would be right now in this season of volatility, pointing fingers, disrespect.
DeleteOnly by His grace can we even attempt to go there, to be that kind of sacred fragrance. Father, help us.
Amen! Praying with you, dear friend.
DeleteFor those who love Dane’s insights, Crossway is hosting a podcast where he reads and offers a short devotional on one psalm per day.
ReplyDeleteMichele, yes! Thanks for the nudge for us all
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93sgwDfTVdQ
I enjoy reading your blogs and soaking in your beautiful pictures. GENTLE AND LOWLY was recommended at our Missions Conference last year and has made a huge impact on my husband. He is working through it slowly by slowly.
ReplyDelete* via email
For sure, this is a book worth savoring and contemplating. I don't know that I would have fully appreciated Ortlund's powerfully gentle wisdom before all the calamity of the last few years.
DeleteHave a beautiful day
ReplyDeleteYou, too!
DeleteI love this: He doesn't simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful Jesus lives in my place of need with me. No matter what I'm going through, he's there with me.
Amen! And as His children, we don't even need to ask for Him or look for Him ... He's never too busy, He never leaves, He never changes.
DeleteWhat comfort.