When the Cross Gets Heavy

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom:  Preach the word of God.  Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not.  Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.  For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.  They will reject the truth and chase after myths.  But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.  Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord.  Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.  2 Timothy 4:1-5

What the apostle wrote to young pastor Timothy was not an easy read.  Paul knew something about the “Bell Curve” of church life.  People get excited about second chances, grace, love, and God’s blessings.  But there is more than consumer-friendliness to the Gospel; there are also hard truths for anyone who wants to follow Jesus.  And those truths are not optional-equipment – they are not up for discussion.  Jesus said so, very plainly:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

Paul warned Timothy that he would encounter those who prefer an easy life much more than God’s truth.  The earthly life of Jesus displayed that truth clearly.  By the time the Galilean finished his ministry, the crowds had not only dwindled, but turned against Jesus.  In the end it was an apostle and two women who stood at the foot of the cross.  The five thousand Jesus fed were out looking for someone else to fill their bellies

A church I once served as pastor was on that decline-curve; aging-out was on the near horizon.  At homecoming that year I preached a message about open and closed doors, and how it was our responsibility to pay attention; we should not become the lukewarm church[1].  After the service an older woman, who always sat on the seat furthest from the pulpit with a scowl that would blister titanium, said to me on the way out the door:  You should preach what these people came to hear…we want to hear good stuff, happy stuff…not about churches being closed.  I told her I agreed…I also wanted to hear good stuff…about the church being on fire with love for God, and how they were telling their neighbors about Jesus – but what I wanted came in a distant third to what I was called to preach, which was the truth.  Churches are dying for lack of preachers and members who are more concerned with telling the Gospel, than just living in their happy zone.

If that seems harsh, it isn’t any wonder…it is blunt, and a heavy cross to carry.  But so was the cross Jesus carried to Golgotha…the same cross he said anyone who wanted to be His disciple must carry.

For You Today 

So, what do you do when the cross gets heavy?  Get in the yoke with Jesus.  He has promised to take the heavier side of the work.  Your calling as a disciple of Christ is (as Paul told Timothy) to preach the Word no matter whether people think it’s in-season or out-of-season.  If the Gospel is offensive in today’s culture, preach the Word of the Gospel anyway; the response of the people is in their hands, not yours!  And only God is the judge of all of it!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library. 

Title Image:  Pixabay.com   Images without citation are in public domain.  

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©  

 

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[1] Read Revelation 3:14-22

 

Love (From a Distance)

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Monday, July 22, 2019

I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.  I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love.  I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.  In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.  For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you.  And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.  And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:1-7

The letter to the believers at Colossae was one of Paul’s prison epistles, written while the Apostle was chained to a Roman guard.  Prisoners have a lot of time on their hands.  Paul spent his time trying to encourage and help disciple the folks he’d met…or those he just heard about.  Loving others from a distance is not an easy thing; there are times when only face-to-face will do. 

I bumped into one of those times recently.  In writing this devotional (which is always evolving, because it is a daily unfolding of what Scripture speaks to me) there is always an element of risk that I might send out a message not quite what I intended.  Since there is nobody in the room at 5 am but my snoring dog I don’t talk to anyone before sending it out; so, feedback is something I take seriously, and count-on to double-check what I’m communicating. 

My friend, who is several states away, busted me on something I hadn’t seen, or even suspected, that my views on a certain political figure were seeping into these daily offerings.  So, in a few private messages, I asked for a deeper explanation, and we “talked” back and forth.  Then I did a bit of reading of my recent messages and found out that my friend was spot-on the target. 

Mia culpa!  My bad!  Thank you, my friend. 

A friend willing to risk a few words of helpful criticism is a treasure.

Which brings me to this morning’s urgent call from the Apostle.  Even in person loving others is difficult; when you’re at a distance it borders on impossible, because you miss so much of the communication process – context, facial expression, inflection and volume, to name just a few. 

But, still, when you’re in the prison of distance, you do the best you can.  Paul expressed his love and care for the church at Laodicea.  Do you remember them from Revelation^(3:14-22)?  They were the lukewarm, complacent church Jesus warned to get a little fire under their feet.  Their very existence as part of God’s family was at stake.  Yet, Paul wrote words of encouragement, and expressed his confidence in their ability to grow strong as a witness, and entreated them to be on guard against deceiving influences that would continue to work against true discipleship.  Even with the flat medium of words, you can sense the urgent message of love for these believers living on the edge of mediocrity (at best), or (at worst) apostasy.

For You Today

There are those whom you get to love up-close-and-personal, and there are those for whom loving-from-a-distance is the only option.  When it comes to the later, use today’s social media carefully – the seeds of misunderstanding have a fertile soil there for a bumper crop of heartache. 

Remember Jesus’ advice in the Sermon on the Mount about Kingdom-living[2] to find agreement with others quickly before a little misunderstanding ends up in really messy consequences.  That’s a non-negotiable Kingdom imperative for believers, face-to-face, or from-a-distance.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com        Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] Matthew 5:25

The Frog Gets a Wake-Up Call

 

[i][ii]

Thursday, May 2, 2019

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea.  This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:  “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!  You say, ‘I am rich.  I have everything I want.  I don’t need a thing!’  And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.  So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire.  Then you will be rich.  Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.  I correct and discipline everyone I love.  So be diligent and turn from your indifference.  “Look! I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”  Revelation 3:14-22

You know that old saw about finding the good in anyone?  It’s not in here.  In this vision of Revelation Jesus is dictating letters to John to the seven churches of Asia Minor.  When it comes to the church at Laodicea he’s got nothing good to say. 

The sticky part here is that when Jesus didn’t find something good to say about them, He didn’t follow my mother’s advice; He didn’t just keep his mouth shut.  Instead the letter is a scathing rebuke of a proud, content group, prancing around in their miserable wretchedness. 

There’s nothing good about lukewarm faith.  The story about the Frog in the Kettle is evidence enough; lukewarm water may feel comfortable to a frog placed in body-temperature water in a pot on the stove.  If the water was boiling he’d jump out like a rocket going off.  But if you raise the heat ever so slowly, the frog’s body will adjust to the temperature until he just sits there and cooks to death. 

Such is the picture of the church at Laodicea, cooking to spiritual death in their comfortable complacency.  They’ve got what they think they need, and no longer have any desire to engage in hot pursuit of following Jesus.  Like the fable about the emperor who was convinced his new invisible suit of clothes was the height of fashion, and pranced around naked for everyone to admire, the church at Laodicea was blinded by materialism and power bought with earthly riches.

So, what does Jesus do…cleans their clock, right?  He slashes and minces them up like a frog in a blender.  No…not at all.  Jesus, in a matter-of-fact tranquil tone informs them they’re on the wrong path, and warns them to repent, get hot for the Kingdom; He wants them to change their ways.  His crowning touch of mercy is to offer them friendship.  He tells them they’ve put him on the outside with their attitudes, but he’s standing at their door, knocking to come inside.

This is the kindness of our Lord…one who is patient and loving, willing to have open arms for the sinner-saint gone astray.  The invitation is always extended to come back!

For You Today

It’s easy to slip-into complacency.  There are a million excuses (I’m too old, too young, not trained, things in the way, fear, comfort, sickness…et al).  Every one of the excuses is tied to temptation, and each one raises the temperature of the water in the cooking pot.  So, wake up; it’s later than we think! 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[i] Title Image:   Pixabay.com

[ii] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New Living Translation©

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