WATCHWORD:
Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said. Mark 10:28
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ 31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. Luke 14:26-33
Meditation:
Like a Fish in the Water…
Perhaps 50 years ago, my sister called me from Colorado, and excitedly told me about attending a concert in a mountain venue in Leadville that featured a young artist with a great name – John Denver. From that point on, John Denver has been one of my favorites. I enjoy his songs, and I grieved when he died in the crash of an experimental plane. His music lives on.
Many of his songs are wistful, confirming that we do not know what will come but we trust the Lord, right here where we are. In my mind, that comes through most clearly in a song called Sweet Surrender. Think on these words:
I don’t know where I’m going, I’m not sure where I’ve been
There’s a spirit that guides me, a light that shines within
My life is worth the living, I don’t need to see the end
Sweet, sweet surrender, live, live without care
Like a fish in the water, like a bird in the air
Sweet surrender, total surrender. Is that who we are? We don’t know where we are going, and, to be honest, we are not so sure where we’ve been. Of course, we know a bit of our history, but we don’t know how our lives have touched others, and how those lives have touched still others, etc., and so it goes.
We know that there is a spirit within us, given to us by God, and we rejoice in the Heavenly light that He provides for us that makes our lives worth living. In truth, we need not worry about the end of this earthly life, for we know where our ultimate home is.
Jesus tells us over and over again not to be afraid, to be at peace, to not worry. In Him we, indeed, can live without care. I don’t relate myself to a fish in water or a bird in the air, but I can imagine that their worries are, at best, “fleeting” (pun intended), as should ours.
You may be thinking, so what? Hidden among all of the above is what we are called to be in Christ, surrendered. Surrender is a big word, but a much bigger idea, with an ultimate price. The matter of accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, is full and complete surrender. Our lives are no longer our own. Think what Jesus surrendered for us: His everything, His very life. Remember Luke 14:33 — …you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own–our lives included.
Read again Peter’s lament: “We’ve given up everything to follow you”. Jesus’ reply was to beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits, i.e. because I want to be delivered from sin, or because I want to be made holy. If so, you have missed the point. Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God. True surrender will always go beyond our aspirations and natural inclinations.
We should all live without care in the arms of our Lord…maybe like a fish in the water and a bird in the air. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
Saturday — Grief-stricken, most of the disciples leave Jerusalem, some to Capernaum, only John remains with Mary through the day. A day of mourning.
“Sun, rain, curving sky, mountain, oceans, leaf and stone, star shine, moon glow you’re all that I can call my own.” Maya Angelou.
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” Edmund Hillary.
“And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.” Kahil Gibran.
[Reminder — Now that we are beyond Lent, we will return to our regular schedule — No Watchword on Wednesdays and Sundays.]
SPECIAL NOTICE — Easter Sunday is coming!
Closing Prayer:
Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Teach me how to surrender each day. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
