Appreciate & Love Him
Good Morning,
Mark 8:31 “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
From 1996 to 2016, I had my own children involved in the youth department of our church. Most of that time, one or more of them was learning to drive, or just starting to drive alone. For around twenty-five years, I had one or more of our children in our Christian school; the boys were involved in football, both flag and tackle. Beginning in 2004 until the present, I have had my own teens in the world of dating and searching for their future spouse and life-long careers. Beginning in 2002, I sent my first child off to Bible college, and for many years at least one of my children has been in Bible college or headed that way. So consider this: youth department, driving, school, football, college, dating and career choice – that basically sums up three decades of my life. Those places and areas of influence involve four of the people whom I love more than anything else on earth besides my wife. Did I care what went on in these areas of life? Unless you are dumb on purpose or a stranger, you know I have cared, watched, attended, participated, and became involved in every way possible (including white-knuckle experiences of teaching two blond girls to drive). Did I do my best to have my own children in the very best places possible and surrounded by the safest and most God-honoring circumstances I could find? Absolutely!
In Revelation 13:8, of our Lord, we read that He was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Jesus' future was planned as one of sacrifice.
As a parent, I would never intentionally have allowed my children in a place of danger. I did my best to be sure the car was safe, friends were vetted, activities were supervised, and that the school was academically superior, the college was a place to secure the will of God, and that those they dated passed every possible check I could come up with. My best effort as a human was frail, but my wife and I worked at it. What idiot would place his family in an unsafe car or a dangerous situation? I might not know the car had some trouble, but I certainly tried to keep it safe. I could not possibly know everything (unlike those arrogant writers in fake news and cyberspace who are sure they know everything), but I worked hard at making circumstances right.
Our family went to Yosemite: my children, grandkids, and my wife and I (who are now the old folks). On some of those mountain tops, I was a little more than fearful for the kids or grandkids who ventured too close to the edge. (This grandpa’s sanity was regularly tested!) Because of my diligent caution, I watched and saw far more of my children than I did of the scenery. No one sits ideally by and watches those they love enter into danger without intervening to avoid tragedy.
Anyone who thinks that any of us would place our own children, or any of those we love, into a situation in which they will be in danger is not only an idiot and a liar but also ridiculous. We all seek the best for those we love.
In Mark 8:31 we read, “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
While God allows us the chance to guard and protect our own children, He planned a path of sorrow and suffering for His Own Son. While God offers us liberty to do our best to ensure the best of friends, God knew His Son’s friends would abandon Him. While God allows us to seek a stable, loving future for our children, He planned a cross and suffering for His Son.
God planned that His dear and only begotten Son would face trials and suffering for one reason – His glory.
Could we perhaps draw near to God in love and appreciation? Could we say, “I love you” to God a little more often? Could we look at our children and consider how God might have felt seeing His Own Son grow up while knowing the sad future He would face. We do not know everything, and we will fail along the way, but God could have guaranteed a perfect life for His Son. Nevertheless, He planned suffering and death for Jesus in order to secure life for you and me. That kind of love deserves to be returned.
Psalm 31:23 “O love the LORD, all ye his saints…"
Pastor