Keep your head down, while enjoying the victory!
This is a disturbing message today, but there is a lot of unseen positive victory in it. It is a very advanced teaching, taking me years to accept it, and only now am beginning to agree with it. In fact until you treasure it, you won’t be a winner, aven though it has loser written all over it.
We all want to be at the top, it is natural, it is human; it is what everyone is trying to achieve. It is called the natural “survival of the fittest”. Christianity directly opposes this, Jesus opposed it. Satan offered him the world if he bowed down and worshiped him. Jesus knew of a better way, an won. He is now the name about all names. We can accept that, and now we love to talk about ruling and reigning with Jesus, but Paul writes:
‘…IF WE ARE TO SHARE HIS GLORY, WE MUST ALSO SHARE HIS SUFFERING.’ ROMANS 8:17 NLT
That changes things, doesn’t it? The only time Jesus was elevated was when they nailed Him to a cross. The only time the crowd cheered, was when they assumed He planned to overthrow the Romans. He died like a common criminal.
Very few even knew He had risen. Now Jesus says to us, “[If you intend] to come with Me… Don’t run from suffering; embrace it” (Matthew 16:24 TM). He also said, “Whoever does the will of My Father…is My brother and sister…” (Matthew 12:50 NRS). That’s because back then you could not challenge your earthly father’s authority and expect to remain in the family.
Taking flack because you are Christ’s disciple requires character, discipline, love and vision. If you lack these qualities, don’t worry, let the suffering develop them. I certainly had a life of suffering, more so since I became a Christian, but my character has been totally transformed because of it. I am told this has been very much to the better; I have many more friends, most non Christian, I am a thousand of times stronger, and my life in general is so much better for it. I have still many problems, and I always will. But it is these problems that give you life. Embrace them, conquer them, there are there for you benefit. Don’t look at them as being there to destroy you, because by thinking that way, they will. I know this is easy for me to say, but I have to say it because that is the way Jesus told us to handle them. But the rewards far outweigh the pain because when He comes back He will not take the spotlight alone. No. Listen:
‘When Christ, who is your life, appears…you also will appear with Him in glory’ (Colossians 3:4 NIV).
Did you get that? Until Christ returns, ours is a serving role not a starring one! Actually Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that if you get the applause of men now, enjoy it, for it’s at the expense of the honour God will give you later. Now that is very strong, and appears to give you no hope for living, but the higher your calling takes you, the more vulnerable you become to pride, and that will kill you. So keep your head down. John said, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (John 3:30 KJV). And John got it right! By the way, if you cant wait for you glory when Christ returns, take assurance that you will automatically be elevated if you are a good server, just make sure you handle it with humility, (to my mind, when it is used wisely, it is the strongest of all weapons, because you are allowing Jesus himself to defend you).
We all want to be at the top, it is natural, it is human; it is what everyone is trying to achieve. It is called the natural “survival of the fittest”. Christianity directly opposes this, Jesus opposed it. Satan offered him the world if he bowed down and worshiped him. Jesus knew of a better way, an won. He is now the name about all names. We can accept that, and now we love to talk about ruling and reigning with Jesus, but Paul writes:
‘…IF WE ARE TO SHARE HIS GLORY, WE MUST ALSO SHARE HIS SUFFERING.’ ROMANS 8:17 NLT
That changes things, doesn’t it? The only time Jesus was elevated was when they nailed Him to a cross. The only time the crowd cheered, was when they assumed He planned to overthrow the Romans. He died like a common criminal.
Very few even knew He had risen. Now Jesus says to us, “[If you intend] to come with Me… Don’t run from suffering; embrace it” (Matthew 16:24 TM). He also said, “Whoever does the will of My Father…is My brother and sister…” (Matthew 12:50 NRS). That’s because back then you could not challenge your earthly father’s authority and expect to remain in the family.
Taking flack because you are Christ’s disciple requires character, discipline, love and vision. If you lack these qualities, don’t worry, let the suffering develop them. I certainly had a life of suffering, more so since I became a Christian, but my character has been totally transformed because of it. I am told this has been very much to the better; I have many more friends, most non Christian, I am a thousand of times stronger, and my life in general is so much better for it. I have still many problems, and I always will. But it is these problems that give you life. Embrace them, conquer them, there are there for you benefit. Don’t look at them as being there to destroy you, because by thinking that way, they will. I know this is easy for me to say, but I have to say it because that is the way Jesus told us to handle them. But the rewards far outweigh the pain because when He comes back He will not take the spotlight alone. No. Listen:
‘When Christ, who is your life, appears…you also will appear with Him in glory’ (Colossians 3:4 NIV).
Did you get that? Until Christ returns, ours is a serving role not a starring one! Actually Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that if you get the applause of men now, enjoy it, for it’s at the expense of the honour God will give you later. Now that is very strong, and appears to give you no hope for living, but the higher your calling takes you, the more vulnerable you become to pride, and that will kill you. So keep your head down. John said, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (John 3:30 KJV). And John got it right! By the way, if you cant wait for you glory when Christ returns, take assurance that you will automatically be elevated if you are a good server, just make sure you handle it with humility, (to my mind, when it is used wisely, it is the strongest of all weapons, because you are allowing Jesus himself to defend you).
