CHRISTIAN REFLECTION
Contemplation Reflection. from TODAY, The Family Altar March and April 1987. |
DIGGEST
1. IN HIS STEPS
2. WELL PLEASED
3.AN OPPORTUNE TIME
4. A FURIOUS HOMETOWN
5. AUTHORITY
6. EACH ONE
7. GO AWAY
8. REPENTANCE
9. BETTER
10. ACCUSE
11. PRAYING ALL NIGHT
12. LEAP
13. MEASURE
14. HYPOCRITE
15. OVERFLOW
16. BUILDING
17. DON'T CRY
18. CANCELED
19. KINGDOM
20. CHOKED
21. FAITH
22. TOUCH
23. MUST
24. DENY HIMSELF
25. CROSS
26.FOLLOW
27. LOSE
28. ASHAMED
29.HANDS
30.BUT FIRST
31. PLOW
IN HIS STEPS "Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should
follow in his steps." 1 Peter 2:21 Some of us have never learned good penmanship
our handwriting is irregular and hard to decipher. Others
have handwriting that makes the rest of us jealous. And when
we who have trouble writing see the nearly perfectly formed
letters and words that others put on paper, we try to follow
their example. " You are my Son, whom
I love;with you I am well pleased." Luke 3:22 It is no surprise
that Jesus received this affirmation from His Father in heaven.Would
it possible for us to hear such words,too,if we followed in
his steps? Yes, God can be pleased with us, too, if we walk
in Jesus' steps. This is the important thing: it's only because
you are walking in the footprints of the divine Son that God
is pleased with you. When the devil had finished
all this tempting, he left [Jesus] until an opportune time
. Luke 4:13 If you try to follow Jesus, Satan will watch
you very closely, waiting for a chance to tempt you. You see,
Satan wants followers of his own, so he prowls along the path
to the cross.
The record of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the desert provides
us with an impressive footprint of the Saviour.Notice the
way Satan tempted the saviour. He appealed to an interest
in the practical ("Tell this stone to become bread");
he appealed to the desire to enjoy an axalted position ("
I will give you all ... authority and splendor"); and
he appealed to a sense of pride ("if you are the Son
of God ..."). In each of these temptations we observe
elements of life that trouble us all. We must examine ourselves
closely and realize how open we are to satan's attacks. Satan thought he had the advantage in that
desert, but Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, counterattacked
each temptation with an answer from Scripture. Then satan
thought that Calvary would be the opportune place to finally
tempt Jesus totally. But the cross was Jesus' opportunity
to destroy satan completely. If you must enter a desert-like
place today and be exposed to the devil's temptation, don't
retreat ! Keep moving in the steps of the cross. Remember,
Jesus was tempted too, and he will help you ( Hebrew 2:18) All the people in the synagogue
were furious (Luke 4 : 28) Today is the beginning of the season in which
the church focuses on the suffering and death of Jesus. One example of Jesus' suffering is the way
people treated Him when he visited his hometown. The very
people from whom he should have expected friendliness became
furious with Him and wanted to kill Him. Those who follow Christ must life a repentant
life, and when they are with close family and friends, they
must call them to repentance as well. But repentance is neither
easy nor comfortable. Most people like things to remain the
same; they don't want to change, they can become murderously
resentful. As we walk the familiar places of our lives, we
should not be surprised if our message for Christ causes those
who know us to become furious with us. And we must not be
afraid -- Christ Himself passed right through His countrymen's
murderous ranks, and he will take us through as well, if that
becomes necessary. They were
amazed at His teaching, because his message had authority
. Luke 4:32 Think back to the first school you ever attended
and to your first teacher. You remember your teacher, dont't
you? Now try to remember the principal of your school at that
time. Most likely you have forgotten him. When we walk in Jesus' steps, he enables
us to express a quality of life that puzzles others but also
impressed them; he allows us a measure of the same authority
that he showed while he was on earth. This authority does
not result from our pushing or shoving or climbing to the
top to capture it for ourselves. It simply comes from surrendering
to God and doing all we can to show in our lives the love
that flows from God. The people brought to Jesus all who
had . . . sickness, and laying his hands on each one, He healed
them. Luke 4 : 40 Christ suffered for individual persons. He
enjoyed knowing their names, and sometimes he even changed
their names, and sometimes he even changed their names. When
we think of Jesus helping others, we remember that His steps
led to the homes, wells, and dinner tables of individuals. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell
at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am
a sinful man!" Luke 5:8 Sometimes we are so uncomfortable with the goodness of Jesus
that we reject him. Peter was overwhelmed by a miraculuos
event that indicated that Jesus was special, even divine.
In his mind, there was a mixture of hope and confusion. He
didn't know how to react ,so he knelt and said, "Go away
!" Now we have to understand what was happening when Peter asked
Jesus to leave. Notice that Jesus did not express hurt because
he was rejected. Rather, he was able to see Peter's strange
request as an expression of confussion and fear - actually
it was a plea for help. Then Jesus assured Peter that he did
not have to be afraid and that from then on his life would
be different. "I have not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5 : 32 Charles Colson, writing about repentance, asks, "Why
is repentance so important?" He answers the question
this way: "Repentance is, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,
'ultimate honesty,' acknowledgment of what we are. A repentant
heart produces tolerance and compassion for all other human,
slaying the dragons of pride and sel-righteousness."Those
who follow Jesus and try to walk in his steps learn the secret
of repentance themselves as they earnestly seek to make his
will their will. In the paths we walk today, will we gently encourage people
to look honestly at themselves? How can we help people experience
what Scripture describes as "godly sorrow," which
leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10)? Jesus came to us to help
us repent. And repentance hurts, because it's our admission
of previous self-gratification. But it opens up to us deepening
trust and dependence on Jesus. When we repent, we say no to
a destructive pattern and yes to a life open to God. "No one after drinking
old wine wants the new, for he says,"The old is better."
Luke 5 :39 "Those were the good old days," says a friend as
he describes an incident we both remember. He implies that
things were better the. Maybe you've noticed that as you grow
older, it can be painful to review all the changes around
you. Sometimes it may distress you to hear yourself say what
you thought you'd never say : "The old was better."
Be careful; you may be wrong. Part of Jesus' suffering was his awareness of the fact that
though he was bringing the best his heavenly Father had to
offer the world, the religious authorities resisted and claimed
that the old way was better. But nothing is better than God's
best. Therefore, Jesus kept pressing on for the best. The Pharisees and the teachers
of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they
watched him closely. Luke 6:7 Recently our newspaper reported that a man who had been in
prison for several years had been released. Another person
had confessed to the crime. I wonder how the released man
feels. For all those years he had been declared guilty. Investigators
had found evidence allowing them to accuse him in a court
of law. Their accusations were considered to be well-supported,
and the man's freedom was taken from him. I wonder how those
who made the accusations feel today. one of those days Jesus went
out into the hills to pray, and spent the night praying to
God. Luke 6:12 When we think about following in Jesus' footsteps, we discover
that these footsteps often lead to the place of praaayer aaand
that they sometimes stop there for a long time. One time Jesus
praaayed throughout the night.I did that once with some friends;
none of us had ever done it before, and I was grateful that
we could encourage eaaach other in prayer. I dont't think
I would have made it through without them. Jesus, however,
was all alone when we talked with his heavenly Father. Who knows what went on during Jesus' hour-by-hour dialogue
with his Father? Did they talk about each disciple whom Jesus
was to choose individually? Did they talk about Judas? No
one will ever know . The important thing to notice is that Jesus emerged from
this night of prayer able to choose the disciples who would
change the course of world history. From then on, Jesus walked
with his chosen followers, who often saw him pray and who
prayed with him. Some of us need to set aside more time to talk to God and
to listen to him. There would be some better decisions, some
more vital ideas, and some enduring resolve as we devoted
ourselves in this way. How do you spend your nights? What I remember about that
night in prayer with my friends is that when morning came,
I wasn't overtired- I had new vision. "Rejoice in that day
aaand leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven."
Luke 6:23 In our city there is a five-foot, seven-inch professional
basketball player who can leap so high, with the ball in his
hand, that he can slam the ball through the hoop with his
hands rising above the ten-foot rim. It's amazing! When he
does this, people rise to their feet and cheer, and others,
who have seats on the basketball floor, leap high themselves
in celebration. The ball game becomes a gathering of "leapers". The other day I thought I would try to picture different
people I saw in meetings, restaurants, malls, and schools
trying to stuff a basketball through a hoop. That brought
a few smiles to my face. But you know, if we believe in Christ and try to follow him
in his path of suffering, we all should be leapers. Today's
text makes it clear that we may encounter some difficult but
appropriate occasions to leap for joy: sometimes we may despised
for following Jesus. And our leaping is not for something
temporary, like points at a basketball game. No, this is leaping
for joy - joy in the living hope of heaven. Leap for Jesus - even if you are hated, insulted, or rejected
because of your walk in his steps. You are identified with
Jesus! Leap for joy in those times, and there will soon be
others leaping with you. The crowds who are searching for
hope will be astonishing. "With the measure you
use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 The words of today's Scripture passage sound strange to us,
for we are accustomed to judging people around us all the
time. We do it without thinking. When we examine Luke 6, however, we learn that when we judge,
or evaluate, other people, we should always remember God's
mercy. (see v.36). The measure we should use is the measure
of mercy. Those who use the measure of mercy learn how to rejoice with
others, commending them whenever possible.Often we can draw
unjustified conclusions when we observe someone else's behavior;
instead, we should make our decisions on the basis of our
hope of God's mercy for that person. If we use mercy in our judging, we will also release the
grace of forgiveness. It's not always easy to forgive, but
if someones's behavior has upset us or even hurt us and has
caused us to judge him or her, we must remember that forgiveness
is the one way we can be restored in our relationship to that
person and God. Those who use mercy as their measure when they judge others
realize God's grace in their own lives, and they use his love
to reach out in love to a neighbor. When you judge others
today, remember how God has forgiven you - and be merciful
yourself. "You hypocrite, first
take the plank out of your eye . . . " Luke 6:42 Everybody hates hypocrisy, and we can spot it at once in
others because there's a little bit of it in every one of
us. Those who strive to follow in Christ's footsteps, however,
know that people can change remarkably on Christ's path. In
contact with Jesus, pretenders become sincere and authentic.
No wonder, for Jesus frequently dealt with hypocrites and
told them how necessary it was for them to change, There are those who say that Jesus himself was only "playing
a role" when he walked among us. They do not believe
he was actually a human being; they say his humanity was a
disguise that he used for a time to cover his divinity. But
how could this be? Jesus was the most honest and real human
being who ever lived. If he had been "palying a role,"
he never would have gone to Calvary for his brothers aand
sisters. As you follow Jesus today, remember what he said to hypocrites,
and examine your own life in terms of his remarks. Jesus calls
us to evaluate ourselves honestly, and this will humble us. Jesus also calls us to be more considerate and forgiving
of the people we meet. In light of this, we can take an honest
look at ourselves and remove our hypocritical tendency to
criticize our close associates in order to stand above them
in pride. "Out of the overflow
of his heart his mouth speaks," Luke 6:45 In the town of my boyhood, there was a great old river, the
Mullet, which had a small dam on it. Whenever the ice and
snow melted or the summer rains were abundant, the water would
flow over the big rocks that lay alongside the dam. The river
below swelled and created exciting rapids downstream. Our hearts are being filled all the time, somewhat like the
Mullet River. But are our hearts being filled with things
that are wholesome or things that are unwholesome? Remember
that our actions and our words are governed by what is in
our hearts; we bring up what has been stored inside. "He is like a man building
a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock."
Luke 6 : 48 Walking through a developing city like Atlanta, Georgia,
usually provides a look at a construction site. The contractors
set up a tall wooden wall around the deep hole in which the
foundation for the project will be laid. And holes are usually
vut into the wooden wall so that onlookers can watch the building
process. Jesus knew about building too; our lives, he said, must be
firmly built-with unshakable rock as our foundation. If we
are going to follow the example of Jesus, he has to be our
foundation and his words have to be the priciples that govern
our daily practice. Just as the curious gather at observation points when buildings
are built in Atlanta, people will gather to observe you building
your life on a rock. Some will glance and move on, and others
will criticize, but still others will be intrigued by the
foundation of your life, and they will admire the consistency
with which it is built. They will be especially impressed
by the way your "building" can withstand fierce
stormy winds. Like the great buildings of modern city, this life based
on the consistent practise of Christ's Word takes a long time
to build. There are pre-fab models that can be put up more
quickly. But only tested materials meeting the Lord's specifications
and built on the rock of Jesus will stand forever. When the Lord saw her, his
heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry . . . "
Luke 7 : 13 As we follow in the steps of the suffering Christ, we learn
important lessons about our own grief and sorrow. Jesus could
see the deep sorrow of the widow of Nain: she had already
gone through the grief of her husband's death; now her only
son had also died. We know that Jesus himself wept when he was at the tomb of
his friend Lazarus (John 11:35), so we know that when he told
the widow of Nain not to cry, he was not rebuking her. He
wanted to convey new hope and great expectations to this grief-stricken
woman. That he spoke in the presence of many people who accompanied
the sorrowing widow shows that he wanted all of them to see
how he had brought hope to everyone. Perhaps you remember saying to a young child whose knee was
scraped or whose ankle was spained or whose feelings were
hurt,"Don't cry." When this simple statement comes
from a heart of love aaand from someone who has help to offer
and hope to give, it can be amazingly comforting. Jesus' words to the widow of Nain have special meaning to
those who have lost children. And just as Jesus wanted the
widow to stop so that he could touch her life with his restoring
power, he enters our lives today and invites us to wait with
expectation for his gracious help. "I suppose [it would
be] the who had the bigger debt canceled." Luke 7:43 Cancellations can be disappointing, but not if they involve
debts that are owed. The Bible often pictures our sin as a debt, and, as sinners,
each of us has a large balance that we owe. But when we, through
faith, experience new life in Christ, we learn that he has
canceled our debt. By walking the path of suffering, Jesus
has become the Redeemer of all who follow him obediently. In today's reading the woman who had lived a "sinful
life" experienced the beginning realization of forgiveness.
And she expressed her gratitude in a startling way at the
Pharisees' dinner party. Anyone who had debt of sin canceled
by Christ can understand how she felt. While walking in the steps of the Savior today, you may meet
someone who feels the burden and stress of a great debt of
sin. When you talk with that person, don't use only your own
words; use also the Bible's record of the episode we have
just read about. It centers around the idea of sin being canceled. By nature, we often like to act as if we are debt collectors
by reminding people of what they have done wrong. But those
who have had their debt canceled by Christ are eager to represent
him and to tell others about what he will do for them. Jesus traveled about from
one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news
of the kingdom of God. Luke 8 : 1 Close to where our family once lived there was a little amusement
park with a variety of carnival rides.For all of us it was
a fun place. It was called "Kiddie Kingdom." I was
quaite impressed with one of our children, who, in his mealtime
prayer oneday,thanked God for the "Kingdom." Thinking
I had a budding theologian in my family, I asked him where
he had learned about the kingdom. He looked at me in surprise
and said,"You know,Dad. The Kiddie Kingdom." Maybe life in the kingdom of God needs to be proclaimed in
such aa way that children realize what an enjoyable and fun-filled
adventure it is. Although the steps of Jesus Christ are resolute
steps, they are best followed in childlike faith. Children
of faith run from one step to another with joy. And on the
kingdom walk there is no better place to be than where the
King is. Where the King is, there is joy and a sure confidence that
all is in control. He reigns over all of life, and he provides
the comfort in which people can make refreshing decisions
of obedience. Are you walking today in the kingdom of God? Around you today
are people who would like to hear some good news. And the
news you have to give is of the kingdom of God, the eternal
kingdom, in which we find the joy of life. "As they go on their
way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures,
and they do not mature." Luke 8 : 14 One of the most terrifying experiences is not being able
to breathe because you're choking. Because we are so afraid
of this for ourselves, we are especially concerned when we
see someone else choking. The Bible passage we are looking at today tells us that it
is possible to choke spriritually - in terms of our spiritual
life. And part of the good news of the kingdom of God is that
if we seek the kingdom (Matthew 6 : 33 ) ,we will become mature
in Christ and we will not choke. At times the path of Jesus seems rather difficult to follow.
The pleasures of the worldbeckon us to "enjoy."
But when we seek the kingdom, God teaches us that the "pleasures
of sin" do not last. If you are running at a fast pace and gasping for your life's
breath, maybe you're being choked. Perhaps "worries,
riches, and pleasures" are crowding out life. There is
no joy anymore - only more stress,pressure, and hindrance
to your maturing. These are thorns that are hurting you. Today take a deep breath from the fresh air of God's Spirit.
Then concentrate on the King's Word that has been sown in
you. With God's help, you can begin to remove those choking
thorns. Breathe deeply, and grow into a fruitful person today. "Where is your faith?"
he asked his disciples. Luke 8 : 25 Often we mistakenly assume that faith is a constant presence
in a person's life - once a person has it, he has it, and
nothing will change its intensity aand power. But people of
faith will be the first to admit that faith is not really
like that. Faith sometimes falters. Sometimes it seems to get misplaced,
or lost, for a while. Evidently, the disciples' faith became
misplace when they were with Jesus in the storm that Luke
8 tells us about. Many of us know that storms will do this. Have you experienced times when, like the disciples in today's
reading, you cry out to the Lord Jesus in fear? Times of fear
are times when your faith grows the most. Faith emerges at
those times in life when we are weak, foolish, and afraid. Jesus knows that you will need his gift of faith if you are
to walk consistently through the various storms of your life
today, and he is eager to have you rely on him. If you are
going through a stormy time just now, trust in Christ totally,
and he will bering calm into your life. Sometimes believers think that their faith is a product of
their own efforts, but when they are overwhelmed by the storms
of life, they discover that their faith is totally a gift
of God. Where is your faith today? "Who touched me?"
Jesus asked. Luke 8:45 In describing Jesus, the apostle John said, "That which
was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked
at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning
the Word of life ( 1 John 1 : 1 ). The woman described in today's passage
wanted nothing more than to touch the Savior. If she were
alive today, she would be part of that great group of people
who know that Jesus is not distant but reachable and who tell
others this good news. "The Son of Man must
suffer many things . . . " Luke 9 : 22 Have you noticed that you struggle a bit when someone says
the word must? It's a word that doesn't give us alternatives.
To hear someone give us a command and say we have a duty to
obey is not always appealing to us. We are tempted to cry
as we did when we were children. "But,Mom, must I?" When we follow in the steps of Jesus, we find that doing
so requires a strong internal commitment: Jesus was totally
commited to obeying the divine imperatives - the "musts"
- of his life (Mark 9:12 ,13) Strange as it seems, though, when we dedicate ourselves to
Christ, we find that life becomes more simple and meaningful.
You know that oftentimes people confront you with commands
that seem important at the moment, but later you find out
that obeying them involved a waste of time. Those who are
not following Christ waste a lot of time obeying improper
commands. It's frustrating and dissappointing to spend your
energy on activities that are unnecessary. Arrange your life,then,
according to Christ's commands. There may be some suffering
to you, but you must keep on, as Jesus did. As you follow
him, you can be assured that the things you do will not be
a waste of time but will be of eternal significance. What "must" you do for the Lord today? "If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself . . . " When we returned from our vacation, my wife asked me to go
to a supermarket to pick up some milk, bread, and cereal for
breakfast. She would do the major shopping the next day. One
of our teenagers came in after I returned, and said, "When
are we going to get some food in the house?" His mother
told him we had all that was necessary: milk, bread, aand
cereal. He was unimpressed. As it turned out, the next day my son aaand I went off to
a "Youth Discipleship Study" group, where we learned
that disciples must learn how to discipline themselves and
limit their needs. Interesting,isn't it, how a disciple has
to change his view of the "necessary" of life if
he wants to follow after Jesus. It's difficult for most people
in our society today to change their ideas of what is necessary
because they have grown up in an environment where everyone
has more than enough. The idea of denying oneself was foreign
to everyone in that discipleship study group. "If anyone would come
after me, he must . . . take up his cross daily . . . "
Luke 9:23 There are a lot of things we pick up daily: a newspaper,
a jacket, a hammer , a briefcase, a book for study - but a
cross? When we think of what our crosses mean to us now, they're
not quite so heavy. Jesus carries them for us. "If anyone would come
after me, he must . . . follow me." Luke 9:23 Sometimes it's possible to follow too closely. For exaaample,
on a busy street one day, watching the traffic light a head,
I followed a blue van too closely, and there was a frifghtening
crash. It was costly - and all because I had followed to closely. When we follow Jesus, however, we can never follow too closely.
In fact, when following Christ, it can be disastrous to stay
too far behind. Luke 22 tells us about the apostle Peter following
Jesus at a distance and then actually denying him. When we
follow Jesus, we follow the person who knows the way through
this life, and we are lost if we desert him. This point seems obvious. But how easily those who claim
to be following Christ can go off on some side trip by following
something other than the Lord himself. Nowadays there is an
information explosion, and many of us have varied interest;
it's easy to follow all sorts of things that happen to intrique
us. Jesus knows that once the decision has been made to follow
him, people need to keep close behind him. He knows that we
need to focus on him if we are to persevere in our commitment
to a life of serving him. He is the Lord. He is the shepherd. How will you fix your eyes on Jesus today? Remember that
it's impossible to follow him too closely. "Whoever wants to save
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will
save it." Luke 9:24 I once stood with the owners of a family business that had
been destroyed by a fire. One of the phrases I heard them
use was "We lost everything in that fire." It was
a heartbreaking scene. I'll never forget it. But neither will I forget what happened in the following
days, as Christian friends proceeded to demonstrate the love
of Jesus Christ and to help this family know that God would
continue to provide for them and help them. We all grew in
our faith. Jesus tells us today that if we are going to follow him,
we must experience certain times during our pilgrimage when
we lose something that we had thought was very important and
necessary. We must do this because so many of the things in
our lives stand in the way of our being used by God in his
great work. We must be willing to lose what is most important to us,
even all of the precious things that are part of our lives,
for Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul once said, "I consider
everything a loss comp[ared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all
things" (Philippians 3:8). Are you willing to give up anything that stands in the way
of serving Jesus? If you are afraid to make such a sacrifice,
remember that you are a following a Savior who died on a cross
to win a glorious victory. "If anyone is ashamed
of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him
. . ... " Luke 9;26 God gave me a special friend when I was a child. His name
was Charlie. We rode together to another town for school.
But Charlie attented a different school than I did. It was
a special-education center for retarded children. Some of
my school friends laughed at Charlie, and those days I too
was sometimes ashamed at Charlie. But Charlie was really very special. He was happy. He was
strong, and he was a loyal friend. I noticed that his mom
and dad weren't ashamed of him. They loved him, and nothing
he said or did could change that. A few years ago I took our family to the county fair. There
on the Ferris wheel I saw charlie, with his dad right at his
side. They were having a great time; I could tell by their
big smiles. Charlie's dad still love him. I'm sorry there was a time when I was ashamed of Charlie.
But, you know, sometimes people who follow Jesus are ashamed
of him. There will be times when you meet intelligent people
who make you feel uneasy about Christ; their high-powered,
impressive arguments will shake you. Don't be surprised, for
the Jesus we walk with walked to the same of the cross. With Jesus, though, there is nothing to be ashamed of, because
at the cross he conquered sin once and for all. Walk with
him now, and someday he will introduce you proudly to his
heavenly Father. "The Son of Man is going
to be betrayed into the hands of men." Luke 9:44 The hand of God was known as "mighty." By its power
the people of Israel, for example, were brought out of Egypt
(Deuteronomy 5:15). The hand of god was also known for its
blessing, providing different gifts to his people (2 Chronicles
30:12). It was also the bearer of chastisement (Psalm 32:4,5)
and the protector of God's "sheep" (John 10:27,28). The story of the walk to the cross is the story of the Son
of Man submitting himself to the hands of men. And those were
hands that were eager to grab him, take money from their own
purses to track him down, beat him, and nail him to a cross.
It's more than we can understand - that the one who sits at
the right hand of God surrendered himself to the hands of
betrayal. Well, we have hands, too, and we use them to handle the affairs
of our lives. Today the responsibility for something important
may be put in our hands, or a person may be entrusted to us
for our care. How will we use these hands of ours? If we follow
Christ, we will want to act in a Christ-honoring manner. The hands of other people may also touch our lives today,
and possibly these will be hands of betrayal. If we express
our nearness to Jesus effectively, some may wanht to destroy
us. But let's keep our courage up. Remember, today we are
also in the hands of God. "I will follow you,Lord;
but first let me go back . . . " Luke 9:61 Following in the footsteps of Jesus involves many different
experiences, some unpleasant. It's not hard to understand
that those whom Christ invites to follow him hesitate. It's
not surprising that they think about some of the things they
have to attend to.When we walk in the footsteps of our Lord
Jesus, however, all our priorities change, and we learn that
nothing else comes first. Jesus expressed this when he said,
"Seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness . .
. " (Matthew 6:33) What stops us too often from following is all those "but
first." Once we leave our primary task of following Jesus
and take care of some item that we feel has priority, we discover
that there are more matters to be taken care of, and before
long we forget entirely about following Christ at all. When
it comes to following Christ, the key element is commitment
now. We are often like children who have to learn to put first
things first. Many parents have told a child of theirs to
do something, and the child has said,"I will, but first
there's something else I have to do." Part of growing and maturing is responding to the call of
Christ and going as far as we can with him, even when we have
some important things of our own to do. "No one who puts his
hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the
kingdom of God." Luke 9:62 As we know, the plow has been used for centuries to turn
the soil in preparation for seeding. Following Christ is here
likened to plowing a field. In the Bible, agricultural terms
are often used to describe Christ's work in this world, which
is God's harvest field. We need to follow Christ in the field
of the world; it's as if we are turning over the soil of many
hearts and planting the seed that grows to eternal life. If
we try to go forward as we plow a field but look backward,
we do a very poor job. The eye needs to be unimpaired (Matthew
6:22) and focused ahead in order to mark out a straight, helpful
furrow. A plowman who looks back while plowing leaves a crooked,
embarrassing path behind him. The wonder of Jesus Christ's walk is his perseverance in
carrying out his task to seek and to save the lost. How could
he do it ? Hebrew 12:2 gives an answer when it tells us to
"fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning
its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. |
Our Content:
Sotoh Rumah Dalam Alkitab
Tentang Burung Nasar yang Tertulis Dalam Alkitab
Rasul Kristen Martir
Hikmat Berdasar Firman Tuhan/Alkitab
Renungan -belajar dari kisah Sisyphus
Nepios