"but whatever was to my profit i now consider loss for the sake of Christ. what is more, i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake i have lost all things. i consider them rubbish, that i may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. i want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Philippians 3.
"relationship experts" suggest that on a first date, a couple should go on an adventure together. a paint ball fight, a roller coaster ride, whatever-- it's preferable to going to a movie, or sitting and talking.
this is because we are bound to someone when we share experiences with them, not when we simply talk about what we experience when we are apart.
i want to know Christ.
to become intimate with Him will take more then just spending time with Him, telling Him about my life, asking Him for help, and even listening to His voice.
i need to experience life with Him.
happily for me, He's asked me to come follow Him, and share in His life.
when i follow Jesus, where does it lead me?-- to the cross...and to resurrection.
i'm not pursuing suffering, i'm pursuing Jesus.
but when i pursue Him, suffering is where i inevitably end up-- because it is where He is. and this is wonderful. sharing in the sufferings of Christ is one of the most binding parts of our relationship. i love it, because it brings me closer to Christ-- beautiful Christ, the only One i want.
what did Jesus suffer?
He suffered physical torture.
i have yet to experience this-- unless fasting counts :o)
He suffered grief over His people.
"o Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
Luke 13:39
"when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled."
Luke 11:33
so part of sharing in the sufferings of Christ includes sharing in others sufferings. taking on their sorrows as our own.
any other ways that He suffered?
i want to suffer-- because i want to be with Christ where He is-- wherever He is.
3 comments:
Isaiah 53 has several ways he suffered that we may experience as well. He was rejected (vs3), a carrier of the infirmities and sorrows of others (vs4), and experiencing undeserved punishment and wounding (vs5). Wow - what love for us!
How Jesus Suffered:
Misunderstanding – Who is this?
Loneliness – The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head
Rejection – The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders
Discrimination – Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?
Bullying – Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely
Cursing – Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree
Persecution - Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, so the Jews persecuted him.
Disloyalty - "I don't know the man!"
Betrayal - The Son of Man betrayed into the hands of men.
Physical abuse - The guards took him and beat him
Mocking - They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him
Execution - Golgotha
The shortest sentence in the bible - Jesus wept.
Are we weeping? What did Willy B say, try tears.
Funny livy lou, I want Jesus to anoint you with tears, may you weep as Christ weeps and be drawn closer to His heart.
.........but His joy comes in the morning!!!!
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