Glory and Suffering

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


There are certain things that "come with the territory" of agreeing with Jesus. I like to pretend from time to time that I might get all of the positive experiences of agreeing with Jesus and somehow avoid the negative experiences. But to share in Jesus' life actually REQUIRES that I share in His glory AND His sufferings:


Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.


In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5,6,7), Jesus laid out a road map for making the first commandment first. This is an instruction manual for living wholeheartedly for God: taking a personal inventory of the measure of what God has said is available and comparing that to what I am actually experiencing (blessed are the poor in spirit), mourning...crying out to God...over the difference (blessed are those who mourn)...and then embracing humility (blessed are the meek) as He pours more of the Kingdom into my life. This is the main point of the Beatitudes. He finishes His description with this promise: Some people (in this case, others who claimed to know God...the religious leaders who often killed prophets) WILL resist you for walking in the blessing of this kingdom lifestyle.


Embracing the first commandment...loving God with all of your mind, soul, and strength...abandoned obedience...is going to ruffle some feathers, both in, and out of, church. It HAS to. Otherwise, Jesus lovers are having no real effect on the culture they are living in. Jesus is REALLY interested in those that love Him affecting the culture around them!


Jesus said that when resistance comes, the natural tendency is to "loose saltiness" and to "hide our light." He said basically "don't give in to your feelings when this happens. Instead embrace this as an indication that you are obeying me!" To embrace wholeheartedness for Jesus is to embrace the joy, and the stigma, of being His.


Zeal for Jesus activates deep-seeded emotions, both positive and negative, in those who are exposed to it. Becoming offended at other people who are simply processing their own emotions as Jesus promised would happen is actually playing right into the schemes of the enemy.


The expression of a burning relationship with Jesus has either one of two effects on the people around you: encouragement or irritation. Jesus actually desires that either of these come to the surface, because as we deal with either, we have to confront the truth of what is in our hearts. Although irritating someone with my zeal feels very negative as people resist me, Jesus is actually blessed as more people come to grips with where they stand on the issue. Jesus isn't nearly as concerned with my temporary comfort as He is with me, and those around me, living in the fullness of life He has designed us for. This is the point of the Sermon on the Mount:


Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.


Jesus is saying "Let those who will glorify bring glory, and let those who will resist, bring resistance...leave the consequences of your obedience with me!"


People are going to both praise me and resist me, but the question is: "what will I DO with either response?" The temptation is to feed on the positive and harden my heart against the negative. Both of these responses are wrong! Both of these responses focus my heart on what is happening in a temporary, and easily manipulated, environment...in the physical realm, where my enemy is hard at work to manipulate people through what they can feel and see:


Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.


To avoid giving into, and playing a part in, the manipulation of the enemy, the Bible says to make Jesus my "source of direction" and my "reward of obedience". This means making God's opinion more important than anyone else's.


Love requires that I care about what others think and feel, both positive and negative. The fear of the Lord requires that I place what God thinks and feels as my TOP priority. Jesus is most interested in me, and those He has placed around me, being fully His family forever. Jesus' enemy is committed to hindering this from happening. I get to choose who I will agree with moment by moment...event by event...


In order to break the scheme of the enemy, Jesus has given me a simple principle to live by: when people praise me, or resist me, Jesus would like me to resist the desire to feed my heart on either response. Letting my heart feed on either of these two foods will either cause pride to grow or bitterness to grow in the soil of my heart. Instead, I want to feed my heart on Jesus' love for me, His promises, and His rewards for obedience (the Sermon on the Mount was where Jesus talked most about rewards, too!). Simply put, I want to redirect my gaze to where my life is really going to be lived out forever:


Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.


Colossians 3:2-4 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.


The man after God's own heart knew what to feed His heart to make it grow righteousness and justice. This is the harvest that pleases Jesus!:

Psalms 37:1-9 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord , and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord , And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord , Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret— it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord , They shall inherit the earth.