Reading this morning's devotional, this imagery played though my mind.
As we first follow Jesus, eventually he leads us to a place called Golgotha, and be naively skip along side him asking, "where are we going today Jesus, golly I really like hanging out with you." We reach the top of the hill and Jesus helps us lay down on two pieces of wood on the floor; he asks for our hand, we willing oblige. He takes out a hammer and a nail and starts to drive it through our wrist. "OUCH!, Jesus why'd you, OUCH!, What are you, OUCH!"
(Unfortunately, in my head this part of the story sounds like a three year old british boy screaming, "OUCH! Jesus, that really hurt, and it's still hurting!")
The next day, when Jesus leads us to that place again, we retract our hand, saying, "Not again Jesus, I remember how that felt, I don't like following you when it hurts." His response of "unless I do this, you have no part with me" (allusion to John 13:7-10); we begrudgingly submit, but wince as he takes out the hammer and nails.
The fact of the matter is that Christ's actions are pure unadulterated love for us. He loves us so much, he's willing to nail us to a cross so that we can live the way we were intended to. Teach me Jesus, grow in me a love for being a living sacrifice. Remind me daily of why we start each day in this way, and surround me with people who will carry me there when I try to run away. I trust you.
It's really a powerful testament to how strong the call of our father is, to know the pain of following him, but continue. The growing pains of following Christ are so much more tolerable knowing the end result is to be surrounded by his love, a far worse fate woul be the eternal pain of separation from him.
ReplyDelete"...when Jesus leads us to that place again, we retract our hand, saying, 'Not again Jesus, I remember how that felt, I don't like following you when it hurts.' "
ReplyDeleteI reallly liked the way you put this, and unfortunatly I struggle with this mindset often..."Not again Jesus...it hurts too much."