"Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places."
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places."
Habakkuk 3:17-19
There is something I wanted to share with you that the Lord has kept bringing me back to these last few days. It sort of goes along with the entire reason I started this blog: Dealing with suffering. The verses above are some of my favorite in the entire Bible that specifically address this issue of suffering. I absolutely love the conclusion the prophet comes to in this passage. Listen again to his passionate declaration of faith:
"Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places."
Now, while it's true that our "old man" and our flesh cringe at the thought of suffering; yet our new man, which has been created in the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:24), views it rightfully, in the light of Christ's suffering. In the Spirit we realize that our suffering can never equal the amount of His suffering. Furthermore, our new nature rejoices that we may be a partaker with Him in suffering. So the question for you and me is this: Which "man" will we listen to?
Before you answer that question though, consider this verse which I want to highlight here:
"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8)
Amazing! This verse tells us that Jesus "learned" to be obedient through His suffering. If the perfect Son of God had to learn obedience in this manner, how much more do frail and weak humans need this training method?
"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8)
Amazing! This verse tells us that Jesus "learned" to be obedient through His suffering. If the perfect Son of God had to learn obedience in this manner, how much more do frail and weak humans need this training method?
Once we get a hold of this we'll see God's mercy in our suffering. For it is such times that we find opportunity to walk in Christ's footsteps; an opportunity to crucify our flesh, take up our cross, and follow Him. Let me state emphatically that the entire Bible, as well as the testimony of believers down through the ages to the very present, tell us that those times in which we are put to the test and challenged to take the high road, can encourage the growth and maturation of our character like no other. This is why the Lord's brother exhorts us, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
In the passage from Hebrews 5 (above) verse 9 follows and gives us further encouragement. "And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." Now, while Jesus obeyed perfectly, we will not due to our weaknesses. However, we do have the hope of becoming more like Christ as we obey and surrender our lives to Him in increasing measure; and as we do the hard things He asks of us in the face of difficulties. Remember, He is the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) As the "writer" of our lives, then, He allows challenges to come our way which will cause us to grow and become moldable, much the way a writer works to develop and shape the characters in his book. God does all this in order to bring about the things which are pleasing in His sight. (Hebrews 13:21)
Finally, continuing on in verse 9, we see that Jesus was made perfect and thus became the source of eternal life. So perfect was His obedience that He did not fail to obey when he had to endure the worst suffering possible - death on a cross. Let's really consider this! Being crucified was a horrific way to die and indicative of the cruelty of the Romans. Truly, throughout history, it has been one of the most awful forms of execution known to man. But Jesus was no ordinary man! The rest of Hebrews 12:2 tells us this: "...(Jesus) who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." His obedience through suffering led to His joy, which was in making a way to the Father for others; for even now He sits at God's right hand making intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)
So then, we wonder - of what value is our obedience? Let me say, friend, that it's of significant value! You see, verse 9 tells us that He who obeyed perfectly became the source of eternal life to those who, in turn, obey Him. So when you or I obey from the heart, through the hardest trials, the most grueling times, we are a shining light. Others are watching, to see what we will do and how we will respond. They want to know: Will we be faithful to the Word, or will we desert our God and go the way of the world? Friend, when you or I take up our cross and follow Him, though the way be hard and we be ridiculed, laughed at, or spit upon, the world does see. It does take notice. And for those lost souls whose hearts the Father has prepared - while we ourselves are not the source of eternal life - we may, through our testimony, lead them to the One who is.
Finally, continuing on in verse 9, we see that Jesus was made perfect and thus became the source of eternal life. So perfect was His obedience that He did not fail to obey when he had to endure the worst suffering possible - death on a cross. Let's really consider this! Being crucified was a horrific way to die and indicative of the cruelty of the Romans. Truly, throughout history, it has been one of the most awful forms of execution known to man. But Jesus was no ordinary man! The rest of Hebrews 12:2 tells us this: "...(Jesus) who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." His obedience through suffering led to His joy, which was in making a way to the Father for others; for even now He sits at God's right hand making intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)
So then, we wonder - of what value is our obedience? Let me say, friend, that it's of significant value! You see, verse 9 tells us that He who obeyed perfectly became the source of eternal life to those who, in turn, obey Him. So when you or I obey from the heart, through the hardest trials, the most grueling times, we are a shining light. Others are watching, to see what we will do and how we will respond. They want to know: Will we be faithful to the Word, or will we desert our God and go the way of the world? Friend, when you or I take up our cross and follow Him, though the way be hard and we be ridiculed, laughed at, or spit upon, the world does see. It does take notice. And for those lost souls whose hearts the Father has prepared - while we ourselves are not the source of eternal life - we may, through our testimony, lead them to the One who is.
In closing, remember that I said above, "Those times in which we are put to the test and challenged to take the high road, can encourage the growth and maturation of our character like no other?" I used the word "can" for a reason. That is because some of us, for various reasons, will choose not to do what God's Word says in difficult times. These reasons may include: listening to and following our feelings or the advice of other people, wanting our rights, misunderstanding or misapplying Scripture, waiting for another person to do what's right first, and on and on it goes. Trust me, I know. I have certainly been there and have had all the excuses. I have even blamed PMS! So then, I'd like to share a quote that I hope you'll really think about:
We all know people who have been made much meaner and more irritable and more intolerable to live with by suffering: it is not right to say that all suffering perfects. It only perfects one type of person ...... the one who accepts the call of God in Christ Jesus. -Oswald Chambers
I ask myself, therefore, will I accept the call of God in Christ Jesus? Will you, dear sister? I don't know what your trial is, but I do know that the reward of obedience is infinite! Who knows but that you or I may have the blessed experience of leading another soul to Christ because they see something different in us.
Next time I will be writing about the third "D" in my series on obstacles to healing. I'm really excited about the last two because they will really zero in on very specific issues related to healing from adultery. I hope to post tomorrow or Monday. God bless your day!
No comments:
Post a Comment