This has been a loaded week. One loaded with encouragement one day, shock another, grieving, stressful, and one filled with hope. In our world of instant communication, if we allow it, we can have outside influences affect our emotions all throughout the day. Sometime I feel my emotions are on a roller coaster ride. I should not let this happen. When I have an up and down day, I use the evening to set it all in perspective. When I've had time to pray and meditate on God's word, the concerns I had in the morning lose some of their strength over me.
At an early age, the culture in which we live instills in us to be successful. We take it to mean success must be every minute of the day. When our view of our daily activities veer from our success plan, we get stressed, worried, and many times just give up. Failure should strengthen us, possibly shift us to another direction, and most importantly build our faith. Think of people you know that have a strong faith. Did they obtain that faith by not having any struggles, or did they obtain it because of the struggles?
Let us go to the Bible and see how Jesus handled life while He was on earth. You may be thinking, well He was the Son of God. He came from Heaven, and He knew God would protect Him. Ask yourself, did he have any problems?
Christ was born in Bethlehem, in a manger.(Luke 2:4-7) Were you, your children or grandchildren born in a manger? After Christ was born, Joseph was warned in a dream by an angel of the Lord saying "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him".(NKJV)(Matt. 2:13) Did your parents have to escape the place of your birth, fearing that you might be killed? After Christ was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and Satan came to Him to tempt Him. (Matt: 3:16; 4:1-11) What happened after you were baptized?
Christ had some rewarding days. Christ went about all Galilee teaching and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all kinds of disease among the people. His fame went all through Syria, and great multitudes followed Him.(Matt. 4:23-25) But, later, many left Him and followed Him no more. (John 6:66)
How often have you had friends leave you never again to be your friends?
Do you have a nice house to live in? Jesus told someone who wanted to follow Him, "Foxes have holes and birds have nest, but the Son of Man has no where to lay His head."(Luke 9:58) (NJKV) Not having a house did not stop Christ from His mission here on earth.
When they came to get Christ, His disciples fled.(Mark 14 :50) Read John 19:1-34; Mark 14:65,15:16-34.
He was beaten, crucified, and when He was bearing the sins of the world He cried out, "My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?" God turned away when Jesus bore our sins.
If we had experienced all of this and charted our emotions, the lines would have been all over the chart. Christ had a mission from God. Even if it met crucifixion, He was determined to do His Father's will.
As Christians, what is our mission? Is it to have a successful career, have large bank accounts, be highly educated, and have a problem free life? Read Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18. As Christians, it's OK to have things, as long as they are not our masters and deplete our energy worrying about them. Jesus said you can't have two masters. (Matt 6:24)
Where is Jesus now? (Read Acts 2:22-36) Was Christ life on this earth pleasant? Did He die for you and me? Did He overcome death for us? If He had worried about His circumstances while on this earth, or worried about what people thought about Him, would we have a hope of heaven? We needed a saviour who would trust God and carry out God's mission exactly as He had planned.
You still may be thinking, "He is God's son". Well, think on this question, "who are we?" Read Matt. 12:46-50; Matt. 5:43-45;Matt. 23:9, Matt. 5:16 and Matt. 6:9. God is, also, our Father in heaven. Has He given us the greatest gift? If we are faithful to death what will we receive? (Read 2 Tim. 4:6-8) If God allowed His Son Jesus to be crucified for us, to live in this fallen world, and then set Him on a throne in heaven, why are we sweating the small stuff? Jesus trusted His Father and look where He is today. Let us trust our Father in heaven today and obey Him. He has a place prepared for us for all eternity.
Christ tells us to not worry. (Matt. 6:25-34) He didn't worry. He trusted His Father. If we trust our Father in heaven, should we worry?
Please think about it. After the fall of man in the garden, God never intended for His children to live on this earth forever. Let's be attached to Him, not the things He has blessed us with. Let's displace worrying with trusting in Him.
Thanks and have a good weekend! Send any comments to my email address, rhepler52@yahoo.com or rhepler52@gmail.com .
Rick Hepler
