"At His Feet: Devoted Love" (Part Five)
"The emptying of the intercessor"
As imitators
of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, intercessors are called to follow his way
of life in the world. A section of the refrain of a contemporary, Christian
song states, "Rid me of myself, I belong to you, lead me, lead me to the cross"
("Lead Me To The Cross", by Brooke Ligertwood, 2006,
Hillsong Music Publishing). The Holy Spirit wants to lead each of us to the
cross where the "false self" (e.g. the self effected by concupiscence, worldly
attitudes, and the influences of the seven capital sins) is put to death. In
Jesus' earthly life, on the cross the supreme act of sacrificial, saving Love
was expressed through the total emptying of the Lamb of God. Jesus emptied
himself for the salvation of souls in obedience to the Father. Now, he invites
intercessors to do the same. This self-emptying --this interior stripping of
self--is a life-long process of passing through 'death to self' to life in the
Spirit. This process is a participation in the emptying and dying of the Lamb
of God in the World:
"So death is at work in us, but life in you" (2 Cor. 4:12)
As
intercessors we are members of the Church, the Body of Christ--a "Mystical"
Body--and are called to share in and to perpetuate his offering on the cross
through our self-emptying lifestyle choices and our intercessory prayer. A
Mystical Body always united with its Head is called to have a 'mystical power'
in its prayer. This empowered prayer is most potent when we are emptied of
self, when we allow the Spirit of Jesus to dwell more fully within us, and when we allow the His Holy Spirit to
groan within us for others. The more that the "voice" of the "false-self" (e.g.
negativity, pessimism, complaining, murmuring) is put to death within us, the
more that the "heart cry" of Jesus can come forth and be heard in the presence
of the Father from within us.
It is God's
Love that empties us. The profound, personal experience of knowing God should
lead us to desire to be emptied of self-love (self-absorption) and selfishness:
Knowing God to the extent of 'forgetting" self (self-denial). This is the
heart-felt experience of being known (being so personally loved by God)
to the point of letting go of "me". God's Devoted Love reflects the rich depths
of His desire for each of us. He desires each of us to cooperate, to respond
with a desire to lay down our lives for Him. A contemporary, Christian song,
"Empty Me", words it this way:
"Holy fire, burn away my desire for anything
That is not of You and is of me.
I want more of You and less of me.
Empty me, empty me.
Fill, won't you fill me with You, with You"
("Empty Me", by John Comer and Gene Way, 2003. 50 miles)
The more that
we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, and the more of the false
self that we allow to be purged from within us, the more filled with
God's presence we will become. We will begin to experience a change of inner
perspective of life--no longer living from our own perspective but now more
from God's perspective. We will become more emptied of self-interest and more
opened to God's concerns and interests in the world. We will begin to identify
with, have more authentic compassion for, sinful, hurting humanity. The inner
"eyes" and "ears" of our hearts will begin to "see" and "hear" more in line
with God's vision and listening in the world. Faith, hope, and love will begin
to blossom. This process of being emptied is the way to spiritual maturity;
for, it allows more of the "mature heart" of Jesus to dwell within us for God
and others. This is the transformed interiority that we will love from, pray
from for others , and give from sacrificially.
Questions:
1) Where does selfishness have a grip on my life?
2) Am I aware of the
"voice" of the false self within myself, and how it manifests at times?
Scriptures:
Rom. 6:10-11; 2 Cor. 4:10-12; Col.1:24; 1 Cor. 15:31