WATCHWORD:
37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Matthew 10:37-39
My old self has been crucified with Christ, It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Meditation:
The Hard Lesson
Yes, it is a hard one, indeed. First, the Lord tells us that he loves us and calls us His children. We accept that, because that’s what we are. We are little children. We have our tantrums, we have our disappointments, we fret when things don’t go our way. Then the Lord goes on to tell us that if we love our mommies and our daddies more than Him we are not worthy to be His. Maybe we understand that, to a degree, but, maybe we don’t.
Life goes on, and it’s not always fair. Maybe you are sitting alone in your apartment, or home, and it doesn’t feel all that good. Maybe you have been alienated from parts of your family and you feel that kind of painful loneliness. Perhaps, you have lost your spouse and you feel that separation, and it’s difficult.
Maybe you’re faced with a diagnosis and treatment for cancer, or other painful physical problems. Maybe what brings you down are your finances. Maybe in the light of all these kinds of things that seem to surround our lives, we wonder if God can be trusted. And you forget that you are a child of God. You and I are children of God, He is our true Father, and everything that comes to us in this day has passed through His hands. This is where our faith is tested. This is where our trust in God must carry us on. We have no other choice, and it’s a good choice.
There may come a time when we wonder, where is Christ? Is God in this mountain, in this mess? Why? Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Christ is at the right hand of God. But despite his fixed location at God’s right hand, Jesus is here now, living within us, as we learn from Galatians 2:20. Here is something I know about you – You, like me, crave deep intimacy with Jesus; and we are most alive and free when we realize and pursue Him.
Think about Jesus, God’s son. This thing we face, this mountain that takes us out of our comfort zone, is small potatoes compared to what Jesus went through for us, on the Cross. In a recent My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers makes this statement — “most of us collapse at the first grip of pain or discomfort. In one way, we are just like Job, sitting under that bush, enduring the harsh reality of his life. Yet, maybe on the other hand we are not so much like Job. Can we say, If He slay me, yet I will trust in Him? in the face of our pain?” That is where our faith in Christ carries us.
I wonder. It’s hard to say, “thank you Lord, for this cancer”, “Bless you for this time alone”, “Thank you for the time you gave me with my spouse”, in the same prayer of faith, and trust in God. I love you Lord.
Our prayers and hearts and thoughts go out to all those families and friends who are overcome with the cruelty that tracks pain into our lives. Sometimes it’s Alzheimer’s, sometimes it’s the pandemic, sometimes it’s disruption of lives and routines because you are the caregiver and you must step up. Maybe it is sudden violence that touches your life and leaves you with a void so painful that tears come. It is most hard to image that it is a God-given gift. Yes, it’s a gift, and God has equipped us to carry on. At the same time, our hearts really must embrace the fact that Love comes in so many forms, bringing with it inconvenience, yes, and yet, blessings. Prayers can be a powerful tool. On this day, especially, prayers for our nation, prayers for the hurting ones, prayers for the caregivers who are heroes. You are all loved.
Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, reminds them that they are not their own. He tells us plainly but we don’t have a private life, we don’t have a little hideaway to avoid the world. What comes to us day after day, these are the things that we have to deal with. God will not take them from us, but he will give us all the tools to deal with whatever it is. Our role, is to be in fellowship with Him. We have to trust Him, for if we don’t, all of those things will continue to be a stumbling block for us, without His help.
A song stirs, and I would love to sing it for you, Lord, but that can wait. However, I speak the words –
I love you Lord, and I lift my voice,
To worship You, Oh, my soul rejoice!
Take joy my King, in what You hear.
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.
We love You, Lord. Amen.
Morning Prayer:
Holy One, we confess that we may not be fully awake for you. Sometimes it takes time. Sometimes we are not faithful in using the gifts that you have given us. We sometimes forget the least of our brothers and sisters, then turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to all that is happening to them. We are infected by sin that divides our beloved community and nation. We pray for healing. Open our hearts to Your coming, open our eyes to see You in our neighbor, open our hands to serve Your creation. Mostly, Lord, open our awareness that you are always with us, strengthening us, and giving us guidance to follow Your will. Amen.
