The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Thursday
October 16, 2008
"A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the
master. The student shares
the teacher's fate. The servant shares the master's fate. And since I, the
master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more
will it happen to you, the members of the household! But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For
the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be
made public. What I tell
you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in
your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear!"
Jesus isn't talking to the multitudes in this passage of scripture. He is talking to that select group of people called "disciples." They were the group of people who walked daily with Him, following in every footstep He took.
For several years the Lord has really been showing me the difference in people who are His disciples, people who claim to be His disciples, and those who could care less about His existence. It has had an incredible effect on my life.
Jesus is warning His disciples, both then and now, that if we are willing to take the risk of becoming like Him we need to prepare ourselves to be treated like He was treated when He walked in the flesh. We will simply be rejected by a few, deeply loved by a few, and totally hated by many. However, if we, like so many who could care less about who He is, choose to ignore Him, He will ignore us. When He began to show this to me He used an analogy that left me breathless.
Our neighbors have a beautiful home, drive very nice automobiles, and just seem to have a good life in general. Yet, they make no effort to attend church or any other such "religious" activity. Many times I have wondered why God would allow them to prosper while we seem to struggle to make ends meet. Well, He showed me.
In this world anyone who works hard can have a good life. If they put their hands to the plow they will reap what they sow, just like we do. However, they are reaping much more than they realize. When this phase of eternity ends they will be in the dark – more so than they are now.
On the other hand, almost all that we do has a Kingdom foundation to it. (I'm excluding TV time. At times, we even gain spiritual lessons from most of that.) We are planting seeds that are yet to spring up. As a result, to the world we appear impoverished. Yet, in the next phase of eternity we will prosper – just like Jesus. If we live like Him, both sides of eternity will be affected. What an encouragement! To God be the glory!
Father, I thank You for the moments of Divine revelation that You share with me. You are so much more than we can imagine that You are. Help us Lord not to judge those who appear to care so little about You. Instead, let their appearance in our lives remind us of the need to stay in an attitude of prayer. We trust You with both sides of eternity in our lives. Help us stay focused on the Kingdom while living for You in this chaos. Oh, and thanks again for the reminder to share with people the things You teach me. Help me stay true to the course.
