February 25, 2018 Sunday

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”” (Mark 8:31-38 NKJV)

            There are two parts of the Good News we often do not want to hear.  First is that we are sinners who deserve hell and are in desperate need of the Good News.  Second is that the Good News calls us to sacrifice everything, even our life, to honor our Lord who gave His life for us!

            Like Peter we want to “rebuke” God for this call upon our lives.  After all grace is free so what is this stuff about denying ourselves, giving our life and maybe even dying for God?  But we should remember that even when tempted Jesus purchased the grace that is free to us!  Indeed grace is very expensive it is just that Jesus paid the price for us.

            It is easy to think this is about being martyred for Jesus but I think it is very clear that Jesus also means many of us will Lose” our lives by not doing what we want but investing our lives in honoring the God who honored us by His life and in those God desires to come to Him.  In many ways I think this is harder!

            As I write this I am lying in bed on a Sunday morning when I want so badly to be with God’s people.  The pain and suffering seems to grow every day.  I prayed and asked God twice to heal me from this pain and disabling disease.  Twice God told me He would heal me through this!

            For over two years I have seen my pain grow and my abilities lessen.  I have had to step from my calling to the pastoral ministry and face the grief of doing something I loved.  I have left the parsonage life and been thrown into “real” life with little warning.  The hardest part is seeing how this affects my family as they become caregivers and the grief I see on their faces.

            But God promised me my ministry would grow through this and even though disabled I send about 40 cards each month to shut-ins, write this blog and have a prayer ministry that takes me around the world from my bed!

            What is amazing to me is Bonnie and I are reading a devotional on the history of hymns it is amazing how many writers suffered terrible problems and how many people as they faced death found solace and comfort from those very hymns!

            Are you giving your life to and for God?  Are you experiencing God presence each day as you offer everything to God?  For if you are not experiencing God’s presence you need to be where God is, with the hurting and the lost!

“God never asks anything from you He hasn’t already given to you and God will not ask you to do anything He hasn’t already done for you!”

            After being able to do so much now comes the time to pay for it!  Doing always has a price paid for in pain.  Some may ask why I do it if it leads to pain but it would hurt more to lay there and do nothing!  My Love and My Lord strengthen me every moment so I can serve you and love my family!  Help me to keep going and serving until I no longer can and then enable me to praise you from my weakness and pain!  Even as the pain grows and becomes terrible I thank God for all the weakness and pain because it helps me experience God’s presence more!