Death by Sword vs Lifetime of Suffering . . . Say What??

(Unedited personal journal entry, originally written on 9/16/13)

Along the same lines with God's next step, my devotional readings out of "Edges of His Ways" by Amy Carmichael(July 23-26), continue to illuminate to me.  Each of us is a part of Christ's body, each endowed with gifts and each provided a purpose to play out for God's glory (His stage).

Each with our own journey (Mandisa's "God Speaking") .  Our purpose is to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength - period.  Within that purpose, our life will unpack the Fruit of the Spirit, demonstrate complete and immediate obedience, a desire to surrender to Him and to read His Word, all of which bring us closer to our Lord and Saviour.

In re-reading the July 23rd devotional, God revealed something new. Regardless of the length of our journey or the contents of that journey, are we remembering to be grateful "we drank from the cup"?  Amy uses the example James and John both drank from Christ's cup and were baptized equally; meaning we all do the same thing to become disciples of Christ while our journey will be completely different.  She noted that John was probably just as sensitive to pain but his walk was the incomparably harder journey because he lived to a ripe old age while James "who with one strike of the sword was with his Lord." Initially, what confounded me was the sentence immediately before, "Some of the Lord's followers have the greatest of all surprises of joy."  My gut reaction was "What!"  Death by sword versus a lifetime of suffering for Christ?

I've been praying and seeking wisdom on how to have joy while suffering.  What does scripture mean by that and how is it possible.  This devotional reading reminded me that we always look at the physical side of things as opposed to the spiritual.  She ends the journal with this: "yet the test to which he (John) was called was the incomparably harder. But think of the wonder of it - if by a quick, sharp release one drank of the cup, the other equally drank of it as he lived to serve.  As we look back upon this "little while", it will seem indeed only a little while, and all that will matter then will be that we drank of the cup, were baptized with the baptism."

How utterly true!

While I struggle and fret over my journey with physical pain over the past 10 years, and which may last the remainder of my life, I know without hesitation Christ has showered me, and my family, with joy and blessings which would have never been experienced otherwise!

We don't live for the end game as Christ did and as he expects His followers to do.  I had an amazing conversation with my brother Bryon yesterday where I was able to encourage him along those exact lines.  All that matters is your obedience to Christ.  He and Adrianne have faithfully prayed, there has been Godly confirmation, and he has had to face down his own pride and fear as well as pass through well-intentioned concern or questions from others.  But at the end of the day, when all the soul searching and prayer is done over something YOU KNOW God is calling you to do, you better do it.

 Christ finds joy in our "readiness without human preparation."  Sometimes, He will actually expect us to be or do what we sing or what we pray.  As Amy put it, "Are you willing to do this, not just to pray to me about it?  Isn't that where "the rubber hits the road" or when you "have to put up or shut up"?  Her July 25th devotional opens with "I thought how good it would be if all of us heard and obeyed."  In the story of the first miracle, water being turned into wine, Jesus challenges his mother to "Let me follow out my own course" (Luke 2:4 Wescott rendering) , with the implication being that if you love me, then trust me.  Indeed, how good it would be if we have God's love in our hearts then we must have God confidence to respond just as Mary did to the servants, and say to ourselves, without any hesitation, "no if's, and's or but's about it", "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." (Luke 2:5)

Instead, our eyes and actions disclose our only real concern is now.  I have to work, we have bills, kids have to go to college and how do we make more money.  All vivid reality but clearly demonstrates we are focusing only on THIS physical world.  We aren't truly seeking Christ first when we spend more time worrying rather than praying.