It is difficult to navigate the Christian life without relational pain. People whom you trust, people in whom you have invested much may turn on you for reasons that you do not understand. They may behave in ways that breaks your heart. How do we as believers walk through those tough times? Perhaps the best way is to look at Christ. All of this happened to Him.
Luke 22:54 – 61 relates the events surrounding Peter’s denial of Christ. You know the story well. Here is the man who declares Christ to be the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi, in the inner circle of the disciples, and the one who declares 30 verses earlier that he is willing to die for Christ denying that he even knows Him. This would be like your closest ally abandoning you at the most critical time in your life. How does Christ get through this? He did this without sin, Hebrews 4:15, but when it happens to me, I am not so noble. 2 Peter 2:21 says that He left us an example to follow in His steps. What is that example?
Thinking through this several passages came to mind. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that in any situation there is a way of escape. That leads me to believe that in each situation I have a choice not to sin, but how? Philippians 4:13 tells me I can do all things through Christ. Similarly, John 15:5 tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing. Lastly Galatians 5:16 tells us that if we walk by the Spirit we will not do the normal thing and follow our flesh. That is the struggle that Paul shares in Romans 7. So it seems that the way to follow Christ’s example when people He loved turned against Him is to abide in Him, deal with the situation in His strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit, while looking for the way not to sin.
That seems like a cliché formula. It doesn’t seem to work. There are vast differences between Christ and me – I know that is a shock. One of the differences it that He was always plugged into His Father. He only did what His Father was doing, John 5:19. I am not that plugged in. Stuff hits me when I am less than ready. It seems that I want to be like Christ and respond the way He did, without doing what He said is necessary.
Thinking through this several passages came to mind. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that in any situation there is a way of escape. That leads me to believe that in each situation I have a choice not to sin, but how? Philippians 4:13 tells me I can do all things through Christ. Similarly, John 15:5 tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing. Lastly Galatians 5:16 tells us that if we walk by the Spirit we will not do the normal thing and follow our flesh. That is the struggle that Paul shares in Romans 7. So it seems that the way to follow Christ’s example when people He loved turned against Him is to abide in Him, deal with the situation in His strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit, while looking for the way not to sin.
That seems like a cliché formula. It doesn’t seem to work. There are vast differences between Christ and me – I know that is a shock. One of the differences it that He was always plugged into His Father. He only did what His Father was doing, John 5:19. I am not that plugged in. Stuff hits me when I am less than ready. It seems that I want to be like Christ and respond the way He did, without doing what He said is necessary.
A quote I found Saturday as I was cleaning rubble off my desk seems to relate here:
ReplyDelete"We are never more vulnerable to sin than when we achieve success, are admired by others, and are prosperous, as King David tragically discovered."
Jon Bloom, Executive Director of Desiring God ministries.
The specific event, of course, is 2 Samuel 11,12. I can't count the number of times that someone has said to me, "Oh! That could never happen to me!" Perhaps I've said it to
myself - and likely not even recognized it, not the statement but the attitude.
Some time ago in my reading program I came to
2 Chronicles 32:31(NASB):
"Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart."
I don't think I was aware of a particular issue, but I did see a glimmer of my heart, and begged God, "O God, please don't ever leave me alone..."
I suspect He will and does, because I get complacent and move away from Him. This is often what to takes to "yank my chain," and turn me back to Him in awe and dependence.