confession, & other thoughts…

Posted on by

Last week, I was doing some studies on what it means to REPENT… &, as often happens, I got lost on a rabbit trail, & spent some time chasing something that was connected loosely to what I’d started with. It was the word, CONFESS – (You can read the verses I was reading HERE & HERE)

I unexpectedly discovered that I have a very, very negative association, a nasty feeling in my belly, around the word confess… maybe its because I have watched too many “cop” shows, where “getting a confession” is something that the good guys do to the bad guys, often under duress. The threat of pain &/or punishment, emotional manipulation, & even downright blackmail are all fair game in the pursuit of a confession. And when a confession is finally worked out of the “perp”, they’re left as a broken, weak, vulnerable mess.

Transfer this context to the scriptures – & the instruction we’re given to ‘confess our sins to one another,’ & that a part of repentance is the confession, the owning up to our sin, our wrongdoing. I found myself thinking, “if confession is like what I’m associating it with, it doesn’t go along with what we know of God & His nature as revealed in the Scriptures & in the person of Jesus Christ – meaning, He is always, now & forever, a predictably good God – & doesn’t put us through torture, torment, & blackmail in order to sweat a confession out of us.

So when I was chasing the Rabbit of Confession, I decided to take a look at what words the Bible writers used to get a better picture of the intended definition for confess in the original language.

And the definitions for confess, with the deluxe Strong’s Concordance Word # next to each:

ἐξομολογέω – exomologeō – CONFESS: G1843 – to confess, to profess; acknowledge openly and joyfully; to one’s honour: to celebrate, give praise; to profess that one will do something, to promise, agree, engage…

ὁμολογέω – homologeō – CONFESS: G3670 – to say the same thing as another; to confess, to admit or declare one’s self guilty of what one is accused of; to profess; to declare openly, speak out freely; to profess one’s self the worshipper of one; to praise, celebrate…

To acknowledge openly & joyfully… my sins? To celebrate… where I’ve blown it? How could I do that? And why would I? Hmmm.

I let what I’d read sink in, & really meditated on it for several days; still, I couldn’t come to grips with what this might mean, what it would look like, lived out in the context of my life, as I would REPENT, ask God to change my thinking & to transform me…

And then today, a light bulb went on.

Confession goes hand in hand with repentance – & can be celebrated, acknowledged openly & joyfully, not because our sins are so great & legendary that they’re to be celebrated. Not at all – sin ends up in death & destruction. Always. Every time. And there’s nothing to celebrate about that. BUT…

There IS something to be celebrated in the freedom that comes from confessing as a part of our repenting… from bringing sin & wrongdoing into the light . When I confess to God (& to another trustworthy, faithful person) I am not being self-deprecating; I’m agreeing with God’s assessment of sin. And by bringing it to the light, I also bring it to the One person who is able to forgive me of my wrongdoing, & who has promised in His Word to not only forgive me, but to purify & cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

Hmmm. So I’m starting to get it. I think. I just know that my belly doesn’t hurt anymore.

And in other thoughts… in some ways, I can’t wait for baseball season to start already. I can only hope that the games will provide a welcome distraction from the daily barrage of accusations/revelations/discussions about PEDs, steroids, & HGH. Still, I’m not holding my breath.

Sigh.

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you… Woo woo woo.

What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson? ‘Joltin Joe’ has left and gone away? Hey hey hey. Hey hey hey.

conversations with Jerry…

Posted on by

A couple times a year, I get to share a meal with Jerry, a guy that has, through no fault of his own, shaped much of my outlook on the Church, the purpose of Church, & what it means to be a Christ-follower. I say through no fault of his own, because he said that he doesn’t approach any relationship he has as “the mentor” – esp. because he is “looking to learn from” all sorts of people through friendship & interactions… but recognizes that others may see him or look to him in that role. And, he said, tongue firmly planted in cheek, if they do, that is “their problem.”

While sitting in Claim Jumper over monstrous piles of food, Jerry brought up a topic for discussion… something that he said he & his buddy Steve have been kicking around for a while – REPENTANCE.

Both of them have been pastoring almost as long as I’ve been alive – & both of them have noticed a few current ‘trends’ within the Church. It seems that people in Church are struggling, trying to get free from the same sin & sin patterns… clingy, life-stealing stuff. And not really having much success. At the same time, the numbers of people being baptized in the Holy Spirit seems to be shrinking as well. In their discussions, prayers, & wonderings, the same thing kept coming up. REPENTANCE… or actually, the absence of it.

The gospel, Good News, that is being declared in & out of the Church is becoming increasingly a message of the forgiveness of sins… but is missing a (or THE) key component in the good news – repentance from sin. And instead of seeing transformed people living in freedom & vitality, the Church is filling up with ‘reformed sinners’ – people struggling with the same old, same old, basically white-knuckling their way to stopping the sinful patterns & life-traps that plagued their lives pre-Christ…

This topic really grabbed my attention – over the last 4-6 weeks, “REPENTANCE” has been showing up all over the place in my life – kind of how I started noticing all the VW’s on the road when I got mine… I started receiving random emails with questions about it; friends relayed dreams where the main point of the dream was repentance; I’d study a section of scripture & would come across the word 10 times; I found an old teaching series called, “Fruitful Repentance,” & started listening to it, only to have another friend, unknowingly, recommend I listen to the very same series I’d just found.

It was the reformed sinners comment that grabbed my attention – I have an idea of what he’s talking about & what he’s getting at – so I asked Jerry to give his definition of REPENTANCE – he said:

  • Repentance is acknowledging, & even owning my sin – recognizing specifically that I’m a sinner, a wrong-doer. And, on top of that, there is nothing that I can do to deal with & address my sin & sinful behaviors on my own. My own efforts at self-control, rooted though they may be in good-intentions, don’t have what it takes to overcome it.
  • Further, repentance is turning FROM this sin, & turning TO Christ is inviting Christ into my situation – to transform me by the power of the Holy Spirit. And then to show me where & how I can cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in my life. Not to help me overcome it, but for Him to do the transformation. To do it. As a lifestyle.

    • It might just seem semantical to you, but something has clicked, (or at least has started to,) in my head & heart:

    A “reformed sinner” wants the forgiveness of sins, (which the Church is proclaiming,) & to do good, live well. And sees that there are things in how they’re living, thinking, behaving, etc that need to change… & then they set about to change it, asking for God’s help in the matter, with little to no progress, success, or lasting change. And its not because the ‘reformed sinner’ is prideful or holding out on God – they’re just doing what the Church has told them they should do… even getting water baptized, but still wondering why this just isn’t clicking for them. So they try harder.

    A transformed life is marked by steady progress turning away from the sins God has already pointed out in our lives, & an increasing awareness of additional sins He is uncovering in our minds/hearts. There is an increased “spiritual inheritance” (READ: life-giving obedience & relationship with God & others,) trust of God & His ways, (instead of my own plans,) humility, seeing myself as I am, with my God-given identity, knowing I’m not diminished by repenting, confessing sin, but rather am freed from it to live for God & for righteousness…

    The conversation over dinner got me thinking at 110 m.p.h. When I got home, I did some reading in the New Testament, & found that every time the gospel/Good News message is proclaimed, repentance is at the center of it – & that the forgiveness of sins happens as a result of the repentance. A change of heart, mind, & thought follows –> leading to a transformed life.

    Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God (REPENT), and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 NLT

    …if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts. 1John 1:7-10 NLT

    I’m still pondering… wondering… reflecting… And I’m thankful for the conversation with Jerry.

    a little humility…

    Posted on by


    This afternoon after work, I went for a 4 mile run – nice & invigorating, especially after the sun the went down. (Read: invigorating means It was icy-cold.) Fortunately, I made sure to dress for the weather, meaning that my little ears, hands, & feet were all ably cared for & amply covered by the appropriate runners-wear.

    The only thing that really suffered was my lips – the cold caused them to get pretty chapped by the time I was done. Usually, I carry a tube of “Lip Service,” (Vanilla Ice flavor if you must know,) but today, it slipped my mind, so by the last 1.5 miles, all I could think about was getting to the car, (the Ex, the car theBean usually drives) & the tube of Burt’s Bees that I’d seen in the center console. It made me fast.

    I got to the car & applied the Burt’s Bees liberally. Ahh. Relief.

    Had a couple of places to go. 7-11 for a Double Gulp fill up. USPS.

    When I got to Sev- (which of course is the way all the Cool Guys refer to 7-11), the people in line at the soda fountain gave me a look. A double take. Enough that I noticed. I felt like the guy behind the counter was trying not to look at me. Hmmm. As I paid the $1.19 for the refill, a guy that had just come in stopped & said, “Nice!” & then kept walking. People are weird.

    At the Post Office, it was more of the same. What is UP with people today?

    Got home & got ready to take a shower… happened to glance in the mirror on my way to bathing (no, it wasn’t an Innerspace, “Tuck Pendleton, gazing in the mirror moment,”) & saw that I looked… shiny. Glittery. Shimmery even. My lips were rosy. And sparkly. Uh oh.

    I re-clothed & went to the Ex, to the center console where the Burt’s Bees was… Turns out, I HAD applied the familiar Burt’s Bees. But it also turns out, my favorite lip balm company also makes a product known as “Champagne Shimmer.” And all the afternoon’s funny looks make sense.

    And I feel pretty…

    a little help?

    Posted on by

    I’d like to ask a favor of you – reader of this blog, the readers that I know, the blog-lurkers that I don’t… even the random person that stumbled across this page in a chance Google search or ‘go to next blog’ moment.

    I’m doing some studying for some writing & a speech or two, & would like to utilize your vast life experience to help myself out…

    When you hear/think of the words “REPENT” & “REPENTANCE”, what comes to your mind? What do you think of? It might be:

  • An image

  • thought

  • concept

  • idea

  • even a specific memory

    • Thanks in advance for your input.
    Ciao!

    …it’s Friday again…

    Posted on by

    I’m on hold, waiting for someone at the I.R.Service to get to my call… evidently, they have some questions for me… or I have some ‘splainin to do. Over/under on the wait time? 15 minutes.

    The Super Bowl has officially signaled the start of one of the more awkward times in the sports world – no football, baseball hasn’t started, & the only thing for the hard core sports fanatic to do is watch the NBA or a miscellaneous College basketball game… both of which for some reason I am unable/unwilling to get into. Sigh. Maybe March Madness will bring some heat. At least it gives more ‘free’ time to write.

    In November, I was staying at Alex’s house & he had a great movie that he’d gotten for us to watch – kind of a “24” meets “Bond” starring Qui-Gon-Jinn... errr… Liam Neeson. It was great & I remember that it really was suspenseful & got my blood flowing pretty good. And that it was hard to sleep after. And that I wanted to make sure that I got acquainted with at least one really good ‘Preventer’. And that my daughter would always travel with one.

    And then I find out that “Taken” is coming out in theatres in January… hmm. I saw it in November in Deutschland. Hmmm. Lucky me.

    Tonight, brother, Tom, & I are going to see it on the big screen. Nice. With popcorn to boot.

    The I.R.Service call had me waiting for 22 minutes. Ohhhh. And I had no answers. And neither did they. Other than please call back in two weeks.

    Sweet!

    TheBean is off to work, & all I can think about is going running. I even had a dream about it last night. Weird. And it was positive even.

    On that note, I also had a dream about eating McD’s Double Cheeseburgers with the bun. And the Carl’s Jr. Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger – with lots of BBQ sauce & bun. Normally I pull the bun off & just eat the insides of the burgers. Turns out that my way of eating is invading my dreamland. Hmmm.

    Are we surprised that professional athletes ‘may have taken’ some form of pharmaceutical & biological enhancement to make their performance on their field of play better? Not really. I can remember suffering through shoulder rehab & ACL rehab… & if someone had offered me ‘platelet therapy’ or HGH to speed the healing & ‘help out the body’, I’d have seriously considered it. Pain hurts, & I didn’t even have millions on the line.

    Interesting that we get Bonds. McGwire. Clemens. Palmeiro. Scapegoats for an entire generation of athletes. Make’s Ken Caminiti’s statements about 50% of players being on the juice seem a little… closer to reality than anyone wanted to admit at the time.

    Time to stretch. Time to run.
    Ciao!

    Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged

    Friday musings…

    Posted on by

    Went to a Thai restaurant today for lunch – with Werner & brother. A 5-star Orange Chicken – with the 5-star referring, supposedly, to the level of ‘heat’ that the chicken would bring to me. When I was eating it, I was wondering where on the scoey-scale this 5-star would show up, esp. when Werner told me that the cabbage style soup we started with, & seasoned with our very own jar o’spices, would only rank at most as a 3 star… I was worried, because that 3-star soup made me sweat & chug my way through a couple glasses of ice-water. Alas & alack… the 5-star was no big deal, ranking about the same as the ‘mild’ wings at Bully’s – Pyramid Way… Not that I’m complaining – it had great flavor – I just didn’t want to be ‘revisited by the heat of the flame’ later on in the day. Seems that I’m a bit more…. shall I say, sensitive to hot & spiciness than I was in the days of my ute.

    Following through on the ground-ation of one’s progeny requires a LOT of work. And perseverance. Sigh.

    A day off is to be savored. Enjoyed. For the sake of being off. For the joy of life. And I’m finding that I have to contend for that more & more as the weeks pass.

    As a part of the savoring of the day, theBean & I are going on a date – a group date to bowl. Not that we’re Bowlers by any stretch of the imagination, but OCD & a little patience go a long way in knocking the pins over. And repeat.

    For relaxation, I don’t think that I’ve found a better combo than Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. And for focusing the mind.

    On that note, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture is hard to beat for sheer inspiration… I dare you to listen to it & not be jumping up & down as it reaches the final 90 seconds or so. Man.

    Sometimes, just listening to certain music brings tears to my ears. Part of it is that these days, I cry without much provocation, & without agitation – I think its probably just the beauty, the joy, & sadness… or a combo of that & more that moves me. Which makes me glad that Den reminded me of the genius that is Eric Johnson – I wore out my copy of Ah Via Musicom back in the day – rewinding “Cliffs of Dover” over & over… Thanks for that.

    Another thing are the memories attached to the music – where I was when I heard the music the first time, who I listened to it with, the experiences tied up into it.

    Maybe that’s why the Psalms as a songbook, & especially the “Songs of Ascent” (Psalm 120-134, sung by pilgrims ‘going up’ to Jerusalem) are so powerful.

    Which gets me reminiscing… about other music stuff that moves me. Here’s a couple…

  • Just about any thing by Rich Mullins – especially from the “Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth” album – especially the song, “If I Stand,” which sure feels like a metaphor for my life. You can watch a series of YouTube clips taken from a concert he did starting HERE
  • You are My Joy – David Crowder. The musical interlude in the middle… man. One day, I want to play & sing this with a team.
  • Gomer’s Theme – Third Day – the story of Hosea, put to music. It breaks my heart to think of Hosea, told to live as an example of God’s heart for His people. And to do so by marrying Gomer, a prostitute, a woman who would cheat on him, lie to him, abandon him… only so that Hosea could go & love her again.
  • Dancing with Myself – Billy Idol. Makes me want to shake it.
  • The Finish Line, Jesus is For Losers, & Harder to Believe Than Not To – Steve Taylor
  • When I’m 64 – The Beatles. Reminds me of my brother, Moe. Nuff said.

    • Sigh.

    Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged

    Yet more reminders that life is beautiful…

    Posted on by

    Heard the news from Sister, & have been watching the news & reading the occasional PB Article, wondering if & when I would hear the ‘bad news’ that my snack of choice, Skippy Extra Chunky Peanut Butter was on the roll-call of salmonella laced products. Alas, nothing yet.

    And so, today, I celebrate with a spoon, a jumbo jar of Skippy, a plethora of Hershey’s semi-sweets, & a fresh-pressed cup of java. Ahh. Life is beautiful.


    And if that wasn’t enough to bring me joy… all I have to do is walk into my office, & more often than not, meine Nichte, Ellie, is usually around to bring joy, a steady stream of yet unintelligible words, & a unstoppable quest for nanananana… here she is sitting at my desk reading my Bible… Ahh. Again….life is beautiful…

    Last Saturday was the Memorial service for Francisco Aranda. I spent the majority of the time at the memorial cracking up over memories… discussions, my attempts to practice Spanish, stories about pre-Disneyland Anaheim, & my favorite, Francisco’s very practical take on theology… I’m truly happy that we have a hope past just what this life offers, as well as the promise that we’ll see each other again. His family has put together a memorial website & online guestbook – check it out HERE.

    The confronting of fear, lies, & other Friday fun…

    Posted on by

    The experiences & interactions of the last few days have given me cause to… pause. Reflect. Pray. In the middle of it, what keeps running through my head is this:

    Jesus traveled through all the cities & villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues & announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever He went, He healed people of every sort of disease & illness. He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great & they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the LORD who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send out more workers for His fields.” Matthew 9:35-38 NLT

    Luke 10:1,2 also relays this story – with the added context of Jesus’ sending out 72 disciples, with the instructions to be doing the same as Him… & to pray for God, the LORD of the harvest – to send more workers for His fields…

    And it resonates – not just because of the faceless masses, people I don’t know… but because of those within “my circle” – friends, & friends of friends – people needing the Good Shepherd, so many with such a wide range of needs that it almost drives me to distraction… I dig. Why?

    It bothers me so much because of my own felt inadequacy, & brokenness – & I wonder what I can do? I know Jesus Christ, & I’m following Him. I know that the Holy Spirit convicts, changes, & transforms, brings from darkness to light. And I ‘know’ my role is to be somebody that lives, that models, Christ in me, doing what He would do, being what He is in the context of my circle. And yet I’m afraid. If & when I engage with people, I’m afraid it won’t be enough. I articulate my fear: what if God doesn’t follow through?

    Now. It’s out. Brought into the light, the fear that has been twisting me, nagging in the shadows of my heart is exposed for what it is. A lie, sown in doubt, used to trip me to hopelessness. Inaction. Distraction. To focus solely on my own issues, short-comings, areas that need to be ‘put back together’… & not falling on the freedom, entering the adventure of faith, trust, & life. Knowing that I know that I know that God is able to heal. Restore. Transform. Forgive. Love. And that He has commissioned, empowered, & strengthened me to do just that. And to look for opportunities to do so.

    So instead of waiting for someone else, someone stronger, farther along, more competent, more ‘together’ to be one of the ‘workers’ in His harvest, I know that God has sent me instead. And you. And it starts with love. First me receiving it from God, then sharing what I’ve been given with others. I choose love – healthy, Godly, unconditional, love. To speak the truth in love. Invest in people, without regard for what’s in it for me? Without hope of reciprocity. And I pray along with the Apostle Paul:

    When I think of the wisdom & scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees & pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven & on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more & more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, & how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life & power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church & in Christ Jesus forever & ever through endless ages. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

    Monday evening musings…

    Posted on by

    Sometimes, I find great comfort in marking the passing of time through the advancement of seasons as marked through TV series… the arrival of a new season of a long-awaited series is like a healing balm to aching joints… Hello, 24! And BSG!

    Listening (reading?) someone arguing their ethical viewpoint doesn’t quite make sense to me… esp. the argument, “If I do this for you, then I’d have to do it for everyone…” Bull. Every situation is different – & I think you just might be hiding behind the fact that you don’t want to make a hard decision & have to live through it.

    When I talk to my kids about what it was like when I was growing up, & relay specific stories relating to things that they’re going through currently in their life, they look at me like A) I’m a liar or B) like the world today is so different there’s no way what I’m saying/relating could possibly be relevant to their oh-so-sophistimicated lives…

    Case in point – the High School years – I was talking to Pasty & theBean – & relating to Pasty some of the difficult decision making situations I’d been in at his age that involved the attempted seduction BY the opposite sex. I counted 10 separate instances where my virtue had been challenged, my heart wooed, & the overt assault, attempt to get me to engage prematurely in the horizontal polka had taken place… all by the time I was 17. And the Pasty Gangsta just smiled at me like I was making it all up. Oh that learning can come through the wisdom of others, & not through the School of Hard Knocks.

    The richness of relationship that I have the privilege of enjoying currently is something far beyond anything that I’ve ever thought I would have. To all of you – thank you for being integrally involved in my life. You have no idea how enriching you are to me & mine.

    Hershey’s chocolate stands up to any chocolate, worldwide. Swiss chocolate be darned.

    U2’s new one, Get On Your Boots is out & about. Enjoy.

    The Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. A great story, & a lineup, a series of matchups that have to make Las Vegas nervous, & the Steelers lose sleep.

    In retrospect, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is amazing.

    I’d like to go to sleep, a sleep without dreams, without tossing & turning, a sleep with no alarm clock to ruin it. I can dream. :)

    Speaking of dreaming, something that has crept into my waking hours is a longing to be warmed by the sun, cooled by the sea-spray, held by the sand, refreshed by the fruity, tropicalness in a place, domestic or exotic, where theBean & I can rest, recharge, & be filled. Oh yes, it will happen.

    Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged

    Suffering…

    Posted on by

    My last post (more of a “sentence” than a post,) was penned late at night while I was pondering something – rejection – something I know that I’m not alone in having experienced. I even have probably dished out a bit of it myself, albeit unknowingly. Anyhow, I was thinking about rejection, both from the aspect of experiencing a recent & fresh dose of it, & also from the standpoint of Jesus Christ being intimately familiar with it Himself.

    When I think about the sufferings of Christ, the first thing that comes to mind is His suffering leading up to the cross – being scourged by the Roman soldiers, beaten with sticks & fists, forcibly being fitted with a crown of Jerusalem thorns… & finally being nailed to the cross.

    But Jesus’ suffering wasn’t limited to the cross… in doing a little digging, you can see that His suffering was something that was experienced in every area of life. I re-read Isaiah 53 the well known prophecy about the ‘suffering servant’, a passage that foretold the suffering of Christ on the cross. However, something else in the passage caught my eye:

    My servant grew up in the LORD’S presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. vv2,3

    He was despised and rejected? Acquainted with the bitterest grief? I dug some more – & read through the gospels doing a word search for “rejection” & “suffering” – what I found was:

  • Matthew 10:24-26 – on the subject of suffering – if/since Jesus (the master) suffered, all of His followers will suffer as well.
  • Matthew 21:42 – Jesus was the ‘stone that the builders rejected,’ the One who has since become the Cornerstone (the main stone of a building, upon which all of the walls are based…)
  • Mark 6:1-5 – upon returning to His hometown of Nazareth, & revealing Himself as the Messiah, it says that Jesus was rejected at Nazareth – by the people who knew Him best.
  • Mark 9:12 – Jesus prophesied to His disciples that He, the Son of Man would go through sufferings & be treated with contempt
  • You can see more on this if you check out Luke 2:34; 9:22; 17:25…

    • Other thoughts race through my mind – Jesus’ family thought He was crazy, out of His mind, & came to Him while He was teaching in order to “put Him away…”

    After pouring His life out for 3 years to His disciples, one of them, Judas Iscariot, betrays Him to the Jewish leaders/Roman soldiers for 30 pieces of silver, the going price for an ox. An ox! The Son of God sold for the price of livestock. On top of that, when He was arrested, every one of His disciples ran away from Him, abandoning Him. Worse, when confronted with the opportunity to be associated with Jesus, Simon Peter denied that he even knew Jesus, 3 separate times. To a servant girl.

    In Romans 5, we’re encouraged that we should “rejoice in our sufferings, because they produce in us endurance…” And Paul, a man well acquainted with suffering & rejection, reminds us in 8:18 that the sufferings of this present time, any & everything we go through, is not even worth comparing with the glory that is awaiting us in Christ… He even says:

    I want to know Christ & the power of His resurrection & the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like Him in His death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead… Philippians 3:10

    He wants to know Christ – even if… WHEN it means the sharing of the same sufferings Christ endured.

    Later, Peter, the same Peter who betrayed Jesus Christ, writes to Christ-followers going through life’s wringer, saying:

    Do not be surprised at the fiery trial taking place – to test you– as though something strange were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so you may be glad & shout for joy when His glory is revealed. If you are rejected & hated for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you… if you suffer as a Christ-follower, rejoice, because you bear His name…

    The rejection & suffering that Christ endured went far beyond the cross – & often came at the hands of those He knew best, those closest to Him – His family & the people in His hometown.

    It gives me great courage & encouragement, peace & faith, to know that Christ endured this type of rejection as well, being hated, & reviled, abandoned, & denied… & He endured to the end, through it all, & gives us an example to follow – one filled with grace, healing, restoration, & life.

    Rejection hurts -& we’re promised suffering if/since we follow Christ… yet in the middle of all of it, God gives us grace to endure; to persevere. To bring glory to Him.