For many years I have had a simple thought rolling around in my head. What is this thought? Tension. For a peaceful kingdom there sure is a lot of tension around me as a believer in Jesus. Do you agree?
This tension spans many different aspects of being a Christian and is necessary for us to learn one of the most important truths ever revealed to man by God.
First, however, let's talk musical instruments. Harps are beautiful. A lot of strings on them though, and I prefer my acoustic guitar. Both instruments are similar in one way though, they require tension to sound the way they should. On one end of a harp or guitar the strings are anchored, immovable. On the other end they are attached to a tuning machine or turn key so the tension on the string can be adjusted. While each string has a tone that it is supposed to produce, tension affects the pitch. Tightening the string produces a higher pitch. Loosening the string produces a lower pitch. Get it wrong, and the instrument does not sound... pleasing.
The kingdom of heaven is like a harp or guitar. Jesus, through His Spirit and His Word teaches us the truth. Each truth is like a string on an instrument, designed to function in our lives and produce a beautiful sound that is in harmony with His will. Be too rigid in the application, too tense, and you'll be off-pitch, too shrill. Be too loose, too lacksidasical, and again you'll be off-pitch, too bassy.
Remember I said this tension is necessary for us to learn one of the most important truths ever revealed by God? That truth is to know, and be led by the Holy Spirit of Christ. He alone determines how tight or loose the truth must be applied in any situation.
Here's how it works.
Sometimes, when Jesus would do the miraculous in a person's life He would say... 'Go and tell everyone.' Every Christian is an example of this. We have experienced Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We have been sent as witnesses to tell the world about Him. Correct? However, there are other times, like the beginning of Matthew chapter eight, where Jesus does the miraculous and tells the beneficiary to keep it quiet.
What on earth? Which one is it Jesus?
This is what I mean by tension. In general, we are to tell everyone about Jesus, but even more importantly: faith, listening, obedience to His directions are constantly adjusting the tension in our evangelism so that we can play the same song as God.
This isn't about living perfectly, that's not why we were saved. Jesus already lived perfectly in our place. Instead, it's about knowing Him and being known by Him. The closer we live to Him, the more skillfully we play the instrument of our lives with His great orchestra. The tension is real. The tension is necessary. And yes, sometimes the tension, by design, is uncomfortable as we get stretched. Amen.
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