Leaving Vulnerability in Place

"The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebrews 2:1

John Calvin wrote with great assurance on Philippians 1:27-30, "Even sufferings themselves are evidence of the grace of God."

Juxtaposing separate stops in verse-by-verse progress through Isaiah and Hebrews, I got to see just how true that was. Christ's kinship with me and with my fellow sons of Adam was a moment-by-moment choice. With a glimpse at His power in Isaiah to rewrite the laws of nature, to undo the impact of man's fall in a stroke, the fact that He instead chose to suffer alongside and on behalf of humans is all the more amazing.

Realizing this, I might not chafe so much today at the evidence of the fall, and my fall, He leaves in place. His grace is sufficient for me, no matter how many times I tell Him it is no longer necessary for Him to prove that.

Wolves prowl at the edges of our state of mind, anxious to devour anything worthwhile in our works. Lambs won't be safe around them for a while yet, and, still, today will be reckoned worthwhile in Eternity. New Jerusalem's gates will still bear the names of the apostles in spite of Peter's denial. My robes will still be white, and my crown still resplendent to cast down before Him, in spite of whatever fresh evidence I give that I sometimes still try to crown myself.



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