PASCHAL FAST ~
Lenten Meditation # 7, 2022
. . . but for THIS CAUSE came I+ unto this hour.
John 12:27
+ + +
Now is My+ Soul troubled and what shall I+ say? ‘FATHER, save ME+ from this hour ?’ but for this cause came I+ unto this hour.
+ + +
When we are going through life’s HARD times of sorrow, of sickness, of struggles within and without, let us apply His+ Words to us:
. . . For THIS CAUSE came I unto this hour.
For THIS REASON --- to endure the struggle, to experience this sickness, to walk that deep, dark valley of heart-ache --- The LORD has allowed THAT “CROSS” to enter into our life. . .
. . . Our little life. It means SO MUCH to HIM+.
Those awful, life-saddening crosses which we would NEVER willingly choose, those awful crosses which HE+ allows into our lives,
FIRM UP our spiritual “muscles.”
In general, we un-persecuted Christians are flabby.
We have poor “spiritual” muscle tone and it shows when hard times befall us. We struggle with depression. We struggle with bitterness. We become dull of spirit. We lose our zeal for CHRIST as we wallow in self-pity.
Oftentimes our struggles are because we are clinging to a VALUE SYSTEM which is not of The LORD. . . and we will not allow HIM+ to re-direct us.
We will not curb our natural-mindedness.
Some of us have a “Martha, Martha” mentality and are SO distraught when our “house beautiful” shows the wear and tear of the stress of the day.
Some of us are work-a-holics, constantly thinking about business ventures, past and future. After all, aren’t we supposed to provide for our wives and children ? And thus, we justify our high(er) life-style instead of learning to be content with basic food and very functional raiment. We will not curb our fleshly nature.
We are TOO BUSY to think about GOD overly much.
We are FAR TOO BUSY to establish a MEANINGFUL quiet time with JESUS. That takes just too much time out of our busy, demanding day.
We don’t want to be bothered with CURBING our flesh, our earthly goals, our “God-given” desires.
And we will DEFEND our earthly value system as our right !
Like Martha, we are cumbered about with much serving and NOT encumbered with choosing the better portion . . . QUIETNESS BEFORE OUR SAVIOR+.
So, The LORD JESUS allows our earthly crosses to stop us from running pell-mell to “serve” HIM+ , running ourselves in Church Activities the same way we run our business, our homes and families.
In Truth, HE+ does not NEED that kind of service.
HE+ wants us to stop serving our values, our ambitions, because it distracts us from BEING WITH HIM+.
And, how detestable is it to HIM+ when we cloak our hectic “service” in much activity, instead of OBEYING His+ Call for quietness with HIM+ ?
Activity and interaction are much more satisfactory
( to us )
than QUIETNESS.
But HE+ has a remedy , an antidote, to help us learn His+ TRUE values. HE+ knows EXACTLY what our busy flesh needs . HE+ knows precisely how to procure our undivided attention.
HARD TIMES. Our earthly crosses. The more we ignore His+ re-direction, the bigger the cross.
When life’s HARD TIMES occur, then it is we find TIME to seek The LORD.
THEN IT IS that we discover
His+ Companionship is
the MOST IMPORTANT THING in our life.
So, to accomplish that end, those heart-breaking, earthly crosses that we carry are NOT lifted miraculously away, pray as we might.
No, we must carry them because
. . . that is WHERE we will find The LORD JESUS every single time, right there in the midst of our cross. HE+ never forsakes us if we draw close to HIM+.
“. . . For THIS CAUSE came I unto this hour.”
And in our humiliation, our hurt, our sorrow, our sickness, we will then discover how precious His+ Companionship really is.
It has been there all along. Waiting.
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