http://youtu.be/MUWbmtbzDno - Praise You in the storm - Casting Crowns
Bearing my own cross
20 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”
Jesus Predicts His Death
21 Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. 22 “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
Thanks Ben, for this post on FB.
"All the children of God have a cross to carry. They have trials, troubles, and afflictions to go through for the Gospel’s sake. They have trials from the world, trials from the flesh, and trials from the devil. They have trials of feeling from relations and friends – hard words, hard conduct, and hard judgment. They have trials in the matter of character – slander, misrepresentation, mockery, suggestion of false motives – all these often rain thick upon them. They have trials in the matter of worldly interest. They often have to choose whether they will please people, and lose glory; or gain glory and offend people. They have trials from their own hearts. They have each generally their own thorn in the flesh, which is their worst foe. This is the experience of the children of God. Some of them suffer more, and some less. Some of them suffer in one way, and some in another. God measures out their portions like a wise physician, and cannot err. But never, I believe, was there one child of God who reached paradise without a cross."
J.C. Ryle
John 16:33 New Living Translation (NLT)
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
We are never promised a happy, "no problems" kind of life. We are promised trials and sorrows. And even though God warned us these things would come, we get angry at Him for allowing bad things to happen. We forget that His power works best in our weaknesses. When we are weak, then we are strong because He comes along side us to get us through.
Paul suffered from a "thorn in his side". We don't know what that thorn was, whether it was a physical illness, chronic pain, maybe it was emotional - the loss of a spouse or relationship with family/friends, maybe it was mental struggles... We don't know, but whatever it was, it was chronic and God wouldn't take it away.
Don't you just know Paul struggled with that? He had so much to do for the Kingdom and this thorn must have slowed him down. He asked God three times to take it away. Have you ever been there? I have. I know that pain, that feeling that God isn't listening. But instead of blaming God, Paul used that thorn to allow Christ to have full reign over his life and struggles.
2 Corinthians 12
12 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. 3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
5 That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I don't believe God causes the bad things in my life, but He most definitely has taken some of my worst moments and used them for good.
God in His infinite wisdom and love, carefully filters every struggle, every suffering, every unbearable circumstance through His unfathomable love for us, allowing only those things that can have purpose and meaning in our lives and/or in the lives of people whom we can influence for Him. His purpose is for us to have fellowship/relationship with Him and with others. Struggles can facilitate those relationships.
We grow closer to God when we realize we cannot face this life without Him. We grow closer to one another when we see our brothers and sisters in Christ rushing to our side to help carry our burden when we are suffering. This is true communion in the Spirit. Loving as we have been loved. This is what God wants for us. His perfect fellowship.
Jesus told us we each have our own cross to bear. He warned us about the trials and sorrows in this world, but He also gave us our Hope. He has already overcome the world and everything thing in it. He has promised to provide all we need to get through whatever struggle or suffering or trial we may be called to endure. All we have to do is keep our eyes on Him, trusting in His Strength and His Power that He has promised to provide. Listening and following where He leads us.
Philippians 4:12-13 NLT
12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Romans 8:35-37
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
http://youtu.be/Hlh6_5znn7U - Lead me to the Cross - Francesca Battistelli
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