9.21- I have been reminded this year that all of us who have decided to follow Jesus will go through some times of trouble.

 9.21-

I have been reminded this year that all of us who have decided to follow Jesus will go through some times of trouble.  Suffering, sickness, frustration, disappointment, disillusion and ever persecution for one’s faith is normal in this world.

God is love.  He is flowing out into this world his grace and peace on a daily basis.

He gives us people who are supportive and thankful for us and they let us know this through spoken and written words.

He has given each of His children the Holy Spirit as a gift and the gifts powered by the Holy Spirit are to be used to keep us going in hard times and to bless others as well.

In times of trouble it helps to remember that God is faithful to His children always.  He is the good shepherd.

Some churches have had great trouble because instead of depending upon God’s faithfulness, they get invested in the strength of some men and women who are the flesh and blood workers in the local situation.  All of these workers are to be working in unity and following God but at times because of our fleshly weakness we can get off track at times.  The reality is that all Godly leaders are working for the same goal on a good day and that is to bring glory to God, not themselves.  Competition between Godly men and women is not where the Spirit of God leads.  All the leaders are yours if you are truly trying to do things in God’s way.

The way of God is not the way of the worship at the foot of earthly leaders, they come and go.  We worship Jesus at the foot of the cross.  The ground is all level there.  None are to be lifted above the others by their title.

Jesus mostly called common workers to be His helpers.  Fishermen, prostitutes, hated tax collectors and other normal workers were called by Jesus to be His leaders.  The Apostle Paul was the only highly educated of the group and he had been an enemy of Jesus.  There was no place for pride, but only humility as a sinner saved by grace.

The central object of the Christian religion was a cruel cross where thieves, murderers robbers and Jesus died an ugly cruel death.  Jesus transformed it into something glorious from something ugly and cruel by His way of loving through all of His time on it.

The competition between churches as to who has the best or biggest building or who has the most highly educated and eloquent preacher is foreign to the way of Jesus.  The cross was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.  To the followers of Jesus the cross was the power of God and the wisdom of God.

When you see a godly man or woman finish their race of life with faith and trust in God it is both ugly, cruel and glorious at the same time.

God has used a young boy with a sling and stone to take down a big philistine warrior and for the last 2022 years God has used the cross to draw men and women to His Son. We have nothing to boast of except the cross of Christ.