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| LifeWORDS: "Feed My Sheep!" | 8.02.09 Home |
Core Thread
See the SCRIPTURES for this message and Phil's article to keep on track with the core message.
(Please note, the Scriptures listed below are active links that pop the text up for you to read!)
So often we define our discipleship, our faith life, by two falso comparisons:
The first is so easy to fall into because we play the comparison game. In John 21:18-22, Jesus tells Peter to follow Him while warning Peter that he will face persecution and crucifixion -- being led to where you don't want to go was an old idiom describing the hardships of old age (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:1-12 and also the conclusion in vs. 13-14, which says something very similar to what Jesus tells Peter!), but the image of stretching out your hands is an idiom for being crucified. Peter wants to know what will happen to the beloved disciple. Jesus reminds Peter that discipleship is not a comparison game. Peter's job is to be Peter and follow Jesus where the Lord will lead the apostle!
The second is even easier. We often feel like the the Lord owes us something if we serve. This is betrayed by the exclamation when something bad happens, "Why did the Lord do this to me? I have tried to honor Him and be a good person: how could He allow this to happen to me?" Underneath is the hidden expectation that if we follow God, He should bless us with a happy life. But, God is manipulated by our behavior, human suffering is much more complicated than this simplistic reasoning suggest (See the book of Job for example!), and our hero went to the Cross. If we follow Jesus, we have no assurances about our time here other than He will never abandon us or forsake us (Romans 8:32-39). Our responsibility is to follow Him, to love Him, and to be used for His purposes: when we do this, we are assured that God will work things out for our best good -- but that may be a long time in coming (Romans 8:28-29).
We are called to live with the express purpose of glorifying God by following Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-14). When we do, God will be at work in our life (Philippians 2:13) helping us face our biggest challenges and overcome our greatest hurdles while assuring us that we will experience His glory and His presence, forever (Romans 8:18-21).
