S is for Sacrifice

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Matthew 16:24-26 (The Message)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)

Job's Comforter

noun -  a person who aggravates distress under the guise of giving comfort.

Boy, are there plenty of these around! Like the extremely helpful (!) individual who told me this week how much he was trying to help me - not only did he fail, he ended up making me feel much worse....

The title of course comes from the biblical story of Job. Unlike me, he had three 'comforters'. These were people tried to console Job, who was otherwise an upright man, telling him that his troubles must surely be divine retribution for his sins.

Is that right?

Actually, I don't think that God - the loving and caring Father that I read about in scripture - is one that sends 'divine retribution' to make people's lives more miserable.

He doesn't send the trials.

But He doesn't leave us alone in the midst of them. 

And that's more a comfort to me. 

An Important Question

Will God ever allow His people to experience hardship, danger, or suffering as they work for Him?

Quite possibly.

Let's face it, He can put His people into some very tough places. Surrounded with a whole host of unlovely things. Unlovely people. Getting right in there to make a difference, to bring them hope.

It can - and will - be difficult.

People usually like to comfort themselves with the comment that “...God won’t give you more than you can handle."

Well, let's unpack that for a bit. Firstly, the Bible doesn't mention that at all.  The nearest we get to this is a quotation came from 1 Corinthians 10:13, “When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (NIV).

However, the context of these words is related to temptation. We can’t choose a way out of danger or suffering.

It's a platitude, a bit like "it'll be all right". It's a phrase designed to make people feel better.

I am reminded that Jesus prayed earnestly for a way out of His suffering. Here's what He said to His disciples: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." And then He said, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matt. 26:38-39).

Yet He willingly went through this for us, for our salvation.

When life seems too much to bear, that’s when we can throw ourselves on God’s mercy, and He holds on to us. God is with us every step of the way. And God will provide us the strength to make it through.

Because sometimes life does throw at us more than we can handle.

Character-building

(ˈkærɪktəbɪldɪŋ)  adjective

that strengthens certain good or useful traits in a person's character especially self-reliance, endurance and courage.

I am reliably informed that certain difficulties in life are good for you. They build character. The process can be painful and may test many areas of your life to breaking point, and even beyond.

The important thing to do in such circumstances is to remain faithful to what you believe, hold on to truth.

Sometimes, you just have to hold on. The difficulties can't last forever.

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.