Omitting interesting details in Simon of Cyrene’s experience with Jesus, Luke 23:26, consider the question, “how should Christians respond when we face unavoidable, difficult, unwanted, undeserved, negative circumstances? Never doubt: we shall confront them, more than once, over our lifetime. Being committed to Jesus won’t exempt us. Life has its own wicked way of throwing tantrums just when “peace like a river” flows into our lives.
Well…with whatever temper Simon of Cyrene raised Christ’s Cross-beam to his shoulder, and followed the Master, the experience changed his life from whatever Jewish faith he had into a Christian zealot. As the Centurion became convinced Jesus was a Son of God. As the penitent thief thought Jesus could bring him into a kingdom the unbelieving criminal couldn’t see. Briefly consider. First, if we accept our duty in Christ as willingly as we enjoy our pleasures, we find troubles are proof of our spiritual inheritance Hebrews 12:4-13. Second, boldly and confidently shouldering unwelcome circumstances for Christ bestows a confidence avoiding them never gives. For facing and enduring hardship offers this compensating assurance: no adversity experienced can shake our faithfulness to God when life turns mean to us. IN…that is…AS we live through and out of the problem, God is never CLOSER to our MIND and HEART. Third, when we buck up, throw back our spiritual shoulders and ENDURE, we find spiritually what Christian military men found in Viet Nam tortures: they felt themselves outside themselves what they experienced—but perhaps didn’t FEEL. That may help us understand why the apostles left the savage beatings inflicted by the Sanhedrin “rejoicing” Acts 5:41-42. As Psalm 78:39, 103:14 say, God knows we are but flesh. When we experience the worst we can hardly endure, God’s mercy, grace, love and presence will be at their BEST, bolstering us. Fini
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|