What Is Your Personal Sacrifice And Suffering?
Good Morning Friends,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer who lived out today’s text from John, knew firsthand what it meant to be a martyr. He said that, ‘We must learn to regard people less in light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer. What I think he is saying is that if we are going to recapture our spirit of adventure for God, we must be willing to join in the suffering of others for the Kingdom of Christ. It is true that God wants our love more than our sacrifices but the reality is with love comes a degree of suffering. And this obedience might well be the first daring step we must take to truly be a disciple of Jesus and to effectively help make disciples. For being obedient to this is an act of believing that others will see. It shows our commitment to be willing to persevere through the difficult challenges of life. Friends, the agonizing death of Jesus opened the door for us to experience salvation through our own troubled emotions. There is suffering in following Christ, but it is the kind of suffering that brings new life. What Is Your Personal Sacrifice?
Scripture: Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
John 12:23-26 (NRSV)
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
Luke 13:18–19 (NRSV)
But Jesus said, suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 9:14 (KJV)
Message: When Jesus made His last entry into Jerusalem prior to His crucifixion He was met, we are told, by an excited crowd waving palm branches and shouting; “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.” John makes the sober comment that the people had gathered because they had heard of the raising of Lazarus. They were hearing the testimonies of those who had seen this miracle firsthand. But for someone to be raised someone must first die. The Pharisees made the cryptic observation that the whole world had gone after Him and that the religious leaders were powerless to stop it. As an illustration of this, some serious minded Greek worshippers expressed a desire to have a conversation with Jesus. They approached Philip, who came from Galilee of the Gentiles, and he and Andrew made the approach to the Lord on their behalf. Jesus recognized in this Gentile interest that His hour had at last come, and spoke of His glorification and death. So far, His ministry had been limited, with a few exceptions, to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” but His death would globalize His message and His resurrection would empower the church for the Great Commission. The fruit of the death of the Lord was and is our salvation. But there is more for we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, adopt his standards and values. We are to make something of this human life we have. When we partake of the fruits of His resurrection, we are enabled, like the stump of Jesse to take root downward, and bear fruit upward. The whole point of this is reaching out toward Christlikeness. But for the masses this is just a theory not a life to be daily and actively lived out. Jesus uses the magnification of the thought of “hating” our lives in this world in contrast to our love of Him to attain this goal which is eternal life. Following Jesus in the path of sacrificial service will bring us honor from the Father. But we cannot do this and still seek the comfort of the world. This is where things get difficult and it brings Jesus and us to an honest conversation with God. For in the text that follows today’s text Jesus is uttering a prayer that is not unlike His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was troubled by what had to happen but His delight was still to do the Lord’s will. Because of His obedience, Jesus’ prayer was answered for all to hear and it was like thunder and more than a bit troubling.
Pray we realize that when Christ calls someone He bids them to come and die in some fashion. Pray however that we realize that such sacrificing for Christ always multiplies blessings. Pray we realize that seeds must die before they can grow and that we as Christians must die to ourselves before we can grow into what God would have us to be. Pray we learn that sacrifice is required as we suffer through feelings of selfishness, sinfulness, bitterness and an unforgiving spirit. Pray we learn how sacrificing these things benefits us and multiplies our impact and growth. Pray therefor that the sacrifices we make be as acts of love and as signs of passion and commitment. Pray we glorify God even when we must endure pain. Pray we realize that there is a cost of discipleship but that it is worth it.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 