Another Beautiful Morning! A bit colder but beautiful...
I was listening to the Christian radio station and their discussion was on the life of suffering and how we decide to handle it. We can use this time to draw closer to God and grow and walk the way Jesus walked...
I also came across an article/study about suffering. The story was about
Joni Eareckson Tada and how she has endured quadriplegia and chronic pain. Then she revealed a diagnosis of breast cancer, prompting to call her a modern-day Job. Yet Joni does not focus on what has happened to her, but on how she can use the suffering to draw closer to Christ. The articles said in Joni interview with Christianity Today's Sarah Pulliam Bailey s "Even though it seems like a lot is being piled on, I keep thinking about 1 Peter 2:21: 'To these hardships you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that should follow in His steps.'Those steps most often lead Christians not to miraculous, divine intervention but directly into fellowship of suffering".
Joni describes her response to learning she had breast cancer: "I don't fall apart emotionally. There's a lump, Wow, okay, let's get this taken care of. I broke my neck. Yikes. What is this going to mean? Okay, let's buckle down and move forward. I'm the kind of person who cannot allow those emotions to go down the grim path of despair. It's too deep of a mitt pit. I'd rather face life head-on and with full force and take things as they come, learn from things, and move forward."
Is this just the extraordinary response of an extraordinary saint? Are the rest of us mere mortals destined always to be knocked for a loop, whether suffering comes in the form of a cancer diagnosis, a career setback, or whatever comes along? Or our we all called to move forward-and if so, how?
Joni says,"Every single day, we die a thousand deaths. We don't just walk through the valley of the shadow of death when we get a medical report or when we survive a stroke. We go through the valley when we say no to our selfish desires. When we say yes to the grace of God, we are learning how to die." Jesus said the same.
For Joni, healing would certainly be a good thing, but she tries to keep her priorities in proper order. So should we. "When people ask about healing
" She says, "I'm less interested in the physical and more interested in the healing of the heart. Pray that I get rid of my lazy attitude about God's Word and prayer, of brute pride-set me free from self-centeredness. Those are more important, because Jesus thought they were more important." Suffering can draw us closer to God. The question is will we allow it to do so?
I am so thankful for all I can do...
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Today's Bible Study
Good News of Great Joy
Read | Micah 5:2
The Hebrew Scriptures—that is, the Old Testament—included many prophecies about the coming Messiah. A few of them probably left Israelite scholars and laymen alike scratching their heads and wondering how one individual could fulfill such lofty promises. The birth of such a person would be “good news of great joy,” just as the angel proclaimed (Luke 2:10). The Messiah would be . . .
• A descendant of Abraham seated on David’s throne. There is a reason that both Matthew and Luke painstakingly trace Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38): the Messiah’s family line mattered. God promised that all nations would be blessed through the house of Abraham (Gen. 22:18), and Isaiah prophesied that Christ would reign forever on David’s throne (Isa. 9:7). The gospel writers showed that Jesus could claim direct lineage from both of these men.
• A man born in Bethlehem who comes out of Egypt. The Messiah’s place of origin must have caused confusion. Though His predicted birthplace was Bethlehem, He was expected to come out of Egypt (Mic. 5:2; Hos. 11:1). We know that a census brought Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to tiny, insignificant Bethlehem just in time for the Christ child’s arrival. And Matthew’s gospel explains the rest of the mystery: the family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod’s jealous rage (Matt. 2:13).
God was specific in describing the Messiah because He wanted people to recognize the Anointed One and rejoice in His coming. That’s exactly what happened when the King of Kings rode a donkey into Jerusalem (prophecy: Zech. 9:9; completion: John 12:12-15). Jesus is the promised Christ—this truly is great news and reason to rejoice.
Looking forward to another great day...
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