He Opened Not His Mouth

I want to know Christ.
I want to know the power of His resurrection.
I want to know the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.
I want to be conformed to His image in His death.

From Phillipians 3:10

Anyone who has been called to stand in the midst of wickedness and suffer the consequence of sin that wasn't their own knows the reality of this passage. That is what Jesus did, right? He suffered the consequence of my sin, though He, Himself, was completely innocent. He was accused of crimes He did not commit. He was tried by the testimony of false witnesses. He was convicted hastily, and thereafter condemned and humiliated.

And most striking of all, He opened not His mouth. Much like a sheep before her shearer is mute, likewise Jesus did not defend Himself. He knew His eternal purpose and in the pursuit of it, His "hands were tied." Let me tell you, that is not human -- it is definately Divine!

Did I say that I thought His lack of defense was most striking of all? I changed my mind. More remarkable than that to me, was that He begged His Father's forgiveness on behalf of those who had wronged Him. He honestly and lovingly longed to be at peace with them while He was yet enduring the trial!

But His kind of peace. Not tranquil, scoot-along-the-wall, emotional, keep-the-peace kind of peace, but the peace that He gives -- the kind that surpasses understanding. The kind that sees and defeats sin rather than ignores its destruction. The kind that all Christians are invited to rest in when we conduct ourselves according to His ways.

It is an easy exercise to give these beautiful verses a cursory glance and recognize the strength, the sacrifice and the poetry they possess, but surely their purpose was meant to be more than a good literary turn. These precious words give hope and camaraderie. They give me a reason to rejoice!

Am I not daily asking the Lord to conform me to His image? Does He not hear my prayers? Does He not absolutely do what I ask in His Name and according to His will? And is it not His will that I be conformed?

So then, as I suffer in semblance as He did, I can rejoice! Not merely endure it, but rejoice!

He is growing me as He draws me nearer, shows me to stand more firmly, renews my mind through the reading of His Word so that I can think as He thinks, love as He loves, love what He loves and hate what He hates.

I am a work in progress. The work is not always pleasant, but my spirit can bear the cross of it for the joy set before me.

It has been a good week.