It’s a Love Story
Where do I start?
I could go back to the story behind the Clark Story, way back to Adam and Eve. Or even further back to a place far away, long ago even before time, where I was in the thoughts of the Creator before the world was; ie. my “in-Christ-ness” rather than my “in-Adam-ness.”
Or my “I am-ness” rather than my “I am not-ness”…
That might be the best place to start, or rather, to re-start!
What if my “in Christ-ness” actually offers me a redo at critical junctures in my life? What if all of Christ’s promises to me are always good and have already been fulfilled? What if His finished work is actually finished? What if I am already complete in Him? What if “as He is, so am I in this world”? What if I have the same relationship with Abba (Papa) that Jesus has; the same intimacy right now that He enjoys?
What if I could explore the mind of Christ, and with it the life that is mine in Christ right now? What if there is no distance, delay or separation? What if eternity and time can merge? What if I could tap into His mind and perspective at each of those debilitating junctures in my life, those times that I believed lies about myself and, as a result, was disillusioned or distracted from my true identity?
What if I could find immediate transformation in regards to the impact of those situations in the here and now? In other words what if I can actually time travel with Papa? Could I get a re-do?
Now that is a novel idea! And I think it might even be the Gospel.
Can you believe that, before the world was created, God was not just thinking about me—He was longing for me with such affection and anticipation. He considered my design, my looks, of course, and my story. He knew how screwed up some of my thinking would be and He knew about my transformation; How He would infuse His love into my design and thinking processes in order for me to believe He was good and could be trusted. And He waited with such patience and anticipation for me to step into the intimacy He so desires.
He knew everything about me, where I would be born, and to whom, and their story, and before them how He would get our great, great grandparents out of England and eventually into Canada where we belonged… and on and on.
He was dreaming into the relationship He would have with me and how much pleasure I would bring Him. He placed such value in me, had to have me close, and inclusion in His family was how He would accomplish it. He decided way back then that I’d be family, for better or worse. Nah… it was always for better!
He planned for me in the sending of His Son to earth. He thought about what it would take to re-deem in me my original, created value because He already knew what my sin-conscious, distorted thinking would have done to me and how messed up I would be.
He wasn’t surprised by me. I didn’t catch Him off guard—never have and never will. His plan already incorporated my full redemption. He already deemed me worthy! I was made in His image and likeness, and on the cross, He re-deemed me worthy! He knew how my thinking would so impact my identity, separating me from the intimacy He’d dreamed about. He knew what giving me free will would do; to me and to the relationship He imagined. He knew which tree I’d be eating from. He also knew what it would cost Him. But oh, the joy to restore me to my original design!
So He came into this world as me, identifying with me in every area of life, including the separation I had bought into. And at the hands of humankind, on a tree outside the walls of Jerusalem, in a land far away, He carried humankind, and me, through the hell our choices had created for us.
Two thousand years ago, He clothed Himself in my separation—my lost identity. He became my sin, the distortion that so easily besets me. And in His beaten and bloodied body, He destroyed its power over me once and for all, making me brand-new, renewing all the potential and promise of which He had originally dreamed.
And now, 69 years in, I am starting to realize the story. It’s not a religious story. It’s a love story. This is my story and your story, as well as every person ever born on this planet… and it’s way cool!
The Promise: Who Do You Say That I Am
Peter is one of my favorite fellas from the Bible.
I can often find my story in his. He was a favorite of Jesus as well. Peter often gets a bad rap for his impulsive, headstrong, and occasional disastrous conclusions, but I love him for his ardent and fierce trust. I love him because he wasn’t afraid to risk, to try, even if he got it wrong.
I imagine him as that confident kid in high school you wanted to hang out with, at least until the cops came. He was the cool kid who drove the muscle car way too fast; it was awesome until he crashed it into a tree stump while doing donuts in
Peter was a pioneer, a revolutionary, and wasn’t afraid to go first. He let everyone else know it could be done, albeit, better and with more style. Peter encouraged and empowered following generations into believing.
There is this one story where Peter shows us the way into our future through his own radical discovery of his. He found his promise in the discovery of the Promise Giver, and in so doing showed us the keys to discover ours.
Jesus, walking one day with His disciples, asked a question, “Who do you say I am?” And Peter rushed in, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded to Peter, “You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God Himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am” (Matt. 16:17 MSG).
Now here’s the deal: everywhere Jesus went, every breath He ever took, every smile and tear, everything He did, every word He spoke, was meant to do one thing—reveal God as Father. Jesus told the disciples continually that He came to show us the Father. He said, “If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well” (John 14:7), and “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (John 14:11). So I imagine Jesus was thrilled with Peter’s statement as it was directly from Father God.
Peter looked at Jesus and met the Father. He got it!
After Jesus let Peter know where his revelation came from, He continued with a personal enlightening message from the Father: “And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together My church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out” (Matt. 16:18-19 MSG).
Can you imagine this scene? Peter, while describing Jesus, meets Father God and is then given his promise. Peter discovered his promise through the discovery of the Promise Giver. But Jesus wasn’t finished:
“And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven” (Matthew 16:19 MSG).
These verses absolutely astound me. Not only is Peter given his promise in the form of his identity, but he is then given his promise in the form of his inheritance as a son of God. It was as if Jesus were saying, “Peter, as you keep your eyes on Me, you will discover there are no barriers, no measurable limits to My promises—all impossibilities become possibilities. When you keep your eyes on Me, you won’t live chasing an ever-elusive promise, you will live smack in the middle it. When you see Me, you can see your true self, and all the promises I have given you. And these promises will powerfully transform you, the lives around you, and the lives to come.”
This story tells us that if we want to know who we are, if we want to know what we are called to do, if we want to know what we have access to, if we want to know and live smack in the middle of our promise, then we must keep our eyes on the Promise Giver. One revelation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit brings more clarity regarding
I’m not suggesting Bible study and good messages aren’t valuable, I’m simply noting they should always lead to Jesus and reveal the Father. It’s an encounter with God that reveals our promise and releases the keys to personal and then worldwide transformation.
Peter had many more bumbling adventures after he received his promise from the Father. He continued to display what getting it wrong looked like. However, he also continued to believe and trust, and he kept his eyes on Jesus and a yes in his heart. Along the way, his vision of Jesus became clearer and he continued to be transformed.
Many years after Jesus had risen and ascended, “people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by” (Acts 5:15). Peter’s shadow had authority to heal. The same Peter who got it wrong so many times before discovered a believing that led to a personal transformation that ended up changing the world.
I haven’t always fully known what my promise looks like, I haven’t always been able to describe it, but I am learning, and I think it’s a little like “God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven” (Matt. 16:19 MSG).
I am discovering that if I’m willing to surrender—my heart for His—I get to engage and experience all His heart offers. I think that’s what untamed living is all about—coalescing my promise with His purpose, His love.
I believe we all have a one-of-a-kind promise from God: His Kingdom of heaven birthed within us. This promise is unique to every individual, is discovered in a revelation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and lives in our hearts. And His promises are greater than anything we could ask for or even imagine. His promises are invitations to believe, step out, risk, trust, and fail; to discover Jesus, be transformed, and walk in the authority of heaven.
“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus is still asking us this question today. It’s an extended hand to take an untamed adventure, to live a world-changing faith.
This is an excerpt from my new book Untamed, A Fools Guide to Surrendered Faith.