Actress Ingrid Bergman seemed so natural in any role she played, she seemed to be living, not acting, it. In truth, she felt alive only when before the camera or audience. Nothing else fulfilled her. Round Up the Usual Suspects, 90.
Discipleship in Christ teaches a different model. Whatever we do or experience is what we are for Jesus at the time. Alexander Campbell might be in his study at 3 AM, or in the farm yard doing chores at 10 AM. In either place he felt comfortable fulfilling the role daily discipleship imposed. Because it’s always more important WHO we ARE than any role we play. Bergman never discovered who she WAS as a person, and had to keep working in her craft to be content. Consider two illustrations as examples of Christ’s intention for us. When the Roman guards offered him drugged wine to ease his pain on the Cross, he refused after tasting it. He wanted nothing to dull the agony of crucifixion. He wanted to be fully conscious to experience the worst death possible because God willed it to provide forgiveness of sin! The Sanhedrin’s effort to eliminate the entire apostolic corps failed when God provided exemption via a temporizing Gamaliel. Then, immediately after escaping death, God didn’t provide exemption from the terrible flogging each man received. Still, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” Acts 5:41. Before suffering, they boldly proclaimed Christ. After suffering, they rejoiced. Each condition BEING what discipleship demanded. Paul and Silas had the same experience in the Philippian jail. Paul had it when God refused to remove the thorn in his flesh. Simon Peter had it sleeping between his guards on the night before the morning of his execution. Acts 16:22-40, II Corinthians 12:1-10, Acts 12:1-19. And on and on with Bible heroes. Sadly for many Christians, we want to skip the hardships and go directly to the joys of being a believer. That Jesus suffered to save us is appreciated. That we can delight in serving him is our desire. We need instead to appreciate that: whatever it is, at any time, we experience in faith, God designs to deepen our spiritual life and strengthen our Christian walk. If we are WITH Jesus because he is WITH us in it, that’s where we want to be. For we know, that is where his will is done through us and our will is increasingly subordinated to HIS. Which is, after all, the essence of Christian discipleship! If we love the honey of discipleship, we must endure the sting of discipleship.
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