"As He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer,...Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him." (From Mark 8:31, 32)
Most of us are like Peter; avoid suffering at all cost. Of course, to be otherwise would be masochistic, wouldn't it? Jesus told Paul, "My strength is made perfect in weakness (can also be translated, "suffering"). This makes sense, because if I am strong, then the strength which the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself (Psalm 27), does not appear to be as strong, or at least it does not appear as obvious to me. I never experienced the reality of 2 Corinthians 12:9 as I did that summer so long ago, standing beside the little casket of our son, Stephen. The remainder of that long summer was a process of writing the reality of this Biblical Theology on my heart. Did I enjoy it?---- no. Did it change my life?--------- absolutely.
If Jesus had not embraced suffering, which was indigenous to Father's will, we would not be, "born of the Spirit," have our names in the, "Book of Life," or have Heaven has our Eternal Home. But he did, and we do. Whatever that suffering today, my friend, though it may seem small to others and even you, or though it is massive and seemingly never to end, redemption is somewhere in it all. Jesus' great shout, "It is finished," was just some short hours later followed by, "He is not here; He is risen." The process is not less magnificent, glorious, and victorious for you and me. It was prophesied of our Lord Jesus so long ago, "When He sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, He will be satisfied." Oh, if we can just, "see[] all that is accomplished," in Father's purposes, it will be said of us also, "He will be satisfied."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray for such "satisfaction. Amen.
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Read of appeal to Obama on behalf of Pollard: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
