Day 87
Die
to Fear
Not
that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Philippians 3:12
~~~
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F
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ear is a
powerful hindrance to our bid for freedom from overweight. Our circumstances
may be so stress-filled that it doesn’t seem safe to take our eyes from the
things that are causing us anxiety.
When Peter attempted to walk on water, he began to sink when he took his
eyes from the Lord.[i]
We can imagine Jesus, eyes filled with compassion, reaching down to take firm
hold of His impulsive, passionate, and very frightened disciple. For a moment
Peter continues to flail helplessly, but the awareness of his Savior’s firm
grip focuses his attention, and it is when Peter reaches out to grasp the Lord
that he becomes calm and is pulled to safety.
We have no way of knowing whether this is how the scene unfolded,
although we understand from the Biblical account that Peter was safe from the
moment that Christ took hold of him. But perhaps Peter, still frightened, did
not receive the truth of that safety until he in turn reached out to take hold
of the Lord. This is the truth of Philippians 3:12: Christ has taken hold of
us, and now we must press on to take hold of him. The King James Version says
it this way: “…that I may apprehend that for which I also am apprehended of
Christ Jesus.”
So long as we keep our eyes on our frightening circumstances and the
frailty of our own efforts against them, we cannot receive the comfort of the
Lord’s firm hold upon us. It is when we lift our eyes to His that we are
inspired to reach out our hands to Him, and only then do our hearts receive the
truth that we have been saved at last from all that has kept us bound by fear.
When we take our eyes from the Lord, we are like Peter, who very well may
have continued to thrash wildly for a few moments even after the Lord had taken
hold of him. It is only when we lift our eyes to His face that we have wits
enough to cooperate in order to help and not hinder our own rescue.
When we have made repeated failed resolutions to lose weight, despair and
hopelessness threaten. But we must remember this: from the moment we confessed
Him as Lord and Savior, Jesus has held us firmly in His grip. We are no longer
our own, we belong to Him, and His intense interest in everything that touches
us brings His power to bear upon those circumstances that have caused us such
discomfort of fear. He is in control of our self-defeating patterns of behavior
and our sin. And yes, He is sovereign even over the number on the scale, the
way people perceive us, and the judgments they bring. We can raise our heads
high, because we are beloved of the Lord.
May we remove our eyes from everything that has discouraged and
frightened us, and take firm hold of Him who has never let us go. As Andrew
Murray says of the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12: “It was because he knew that the mighty and
the faithful One had grasped him with the glorious purpose of making him one
with Himself, that he did his utmost to grasp the glorious prize.”[ii]
Pray: Father, I’ve been so afraid. I’ve been afraid of the health
consequences of my continued overweight, of the judgments of other people, and,
because of my failures and sins, of losing the blessings You have promised. But
I know that You have taken hold of me, and covered my sins, and that You work
on my behalf. Help me to take my eyes from my fears and place my focus on You.
Lord help me to cooperate with Your work in my life so that I may help and not
hinder my own rescue from the self-condemnation and fear that have held my
attention for so long. Amen.
~~~
There
is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18
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