The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Friday
January 4, 2008
As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has
come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory
because of all that happens to me. And God will bring
me into my glory very soon. Dear children, how brief
are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search
for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as
I have loved you, you should love each other. Your
love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
John 13:31-35
We cannot imagine the devastation the disciples felt as Jesus shared these words with them. Countless times He spoke to them of the path He would walk in Jerusalem, but I am sure they ignored what He said regarding His departure.
Like Jesus, God can receive glory from "all that happens" to us. Many people feel they can't do prison ministry because they can't relate to the prisoners. Now, I have never murdered anyone, but I have gossiped, and according to Jesus that is murder of a person's reputation. Therefore, I am able to relate because of the old saying, "there but by the grace of God go I."
How can we love each other as Jesus loved us? By trying to walk a mile with someone who is hurting. We need to leave our comfort zones from time to time and enter into a situation where God can use us for His glory. We can do this as we confess our sins to one another when the time is right.
Recently, the Lord led a woman to me who shared about her mother's emotional bondage. As the Holy Spirit led me to share with her that I too had experienced such turmoil I watched as hope washed across her face. She knew in her heart that if God could change me — He could change her mother.
Jesus allowed Himself to be vulnerable to life's situations and the circumstances that surrounded Him, trusting that His Father would be glorified. God is glorified when someone's load is lightened with hope in Him. What hope can you share with someone today? In Jeremiah 31:13b God promises that, "I will turn their mourning into joy." That happens when we give God our pain and He heals us with His hope. Isn't that why Jesus left the splendor of Heaven in the first place?
