Embracing the Upside Down

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” MATTHEW 5:43-45

A few months ago, the Lord began to show me how backwards we are as humans. I realized that the evil one takes love and flips it on its head (to hate), and how he divides humans by deceiving us (through comparison, false testimony of Jesus, and even death). That was my first sense of the repetitive upside down nature of human behavior. That took a few months for me to swallow.

This past week, the Lord humbled me again by revealing to me how EVERYTHING we (think we) know about this life + the life of Jesus is also upside down. I grew up in church my whole life- I come from generations of pastors. So naturally as a young (and incredibly selfish) adult, I became complacent and rejected God, and in turn I rejected who I was made to be. I lost myself because I thought I already knew who God was and who I was made to be. Now I realize I allowed my own agenda + understanding of what I thought I knew was true to exceed God’s good plan for my life. If we want to try to truly understand our place in this life + grow, we must humble ourselves (and our previous knowledge) before God, and pursue divine wisdom. 

LIVING IN A CULTURE THAT SUPPORTS A DISTORTED VALUE SYSTEM

God’s love = a reversal of our value systems/kingdoms. Where the world values success, money, status, appearance, etc.- the Lord values humility, weakness, truth, and vulnerability. Jesus of Nazareth’s life, death, and resurrection is the very manifestation of this “upside down kingdom.” The resurrection was Jesus’ victory over death + spiritual evil; it is a source of life and power for us in the present. The resurrection stands as a promise of hope for the whole world.

THE PARADOX OF THE CROSS

“For you know the generous grace of our LORD, Jesus the Messiah, that even though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty, you might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9

The cross stands as the example of this paradox. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He was lifted on high for all to see. It was through His persecution, suffering, and execution that Jesus was exalted (gloriously) as King. He was rich (in divine nature, glory, and love), but for our sake He became poor (humbling and giving all of Himself) so that through His poverty (the debt He paid at the cross), you might become rich (in grace, humility, and self-giving love).

The paradox of the cross reveals:

1. GOD’S SALVATION: Jesus died so we may live

2. GOD’S CHARACTER: We serve the God who truly loves (giving us grace generously, no matter the cost)

3. A NEW (UPSIDE DOWN) WAY OF LIFE: We are called to live a transformed life according to Christ (imitating the cross).