SUFFERING SETFORWARDS

Jesus is the Master Craftsman to daily living.  He upset the major thoroughfares of human mobility.  We students of the Word are perpetually called to pay attention. One minor distraction away from God's Centerpiece (His Son) and we may just drop Heaven's message for hope.

Nonchalance regarding faith and mission is disaster in the making.  I caution each reader to avoid the trap of irresponsibility by thoughtlessly concluding that I believe the church to be doing basically nothing; for such opposes how I really see things.  It is the range and grasp of the things of God which we lack that I find increasingly desperate.

Fundamentally, serious Bible students can become Bible-banging bullies or Turtles-in-their-shell afraid...or both.  Jesus and the cross, to these two categories, have become yawners.  The former wants to hold us to the few things we believe to be true and the latter is scared to move for fear any movement would be wrong. Thus the exploration of faith has been restricted and curtailed.

The basic which causes definite short-sheeting of the kingdom dimension is found in the word suffering.  We want to do many things for God; except one.  That one is the core doctrine of the church.  We commemorate this haphazardly as the trays swiftly pass down our row.  But suffering is the one thing we fiercely try to avoid.

We must change our view to a new level.  Yes I used CHANGE and NEW.  From observing Jesus, we are a new breed of heavenling.  We see things altogether differently because he has changed the format for living.  Where we once viewed struggle, injury, and suffering as setbacks, Jesus teaches us to use them as setforwards.  

This isn't cute wording, my friend.  This is the solution to what is ailing many churches.  If our goal is to see that all are safe, we bought a lie.  We are called to take up crosses; not pews.  I don't mean this frivolously.  I mean it soberly.  We have groomed ourselves to do many things for Him but not with Him.  We will devote ourselves to contributions; yet try to avoid deep commitments if such would contain risk.

The more we look at this and think upon this, I believe we will become more inclined to ponder risk for Him.  I can't think of anything we could do more satisfying to Him....and to our inner spirit.

Something in general is missing among us.  We are engaged in incredibly valuable and important matters that are changing lives.  There are those who have put their lives on the line; their careers in jeopardy to serve God.  For those, however, who feel a gap in the spiritual walk, suffering willingly for the Master may be the road less traveled....and in great need.

Suffering moves us forward; not backwards.  The setbacks come when we live cowardly in the name of church labors.  Setforwards are the experiences with God when we see results that only He could deliver.