Suffering: The positive side . . .

Philippians 3: 10-11 . . .

 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

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Dear Friends, financial and prayer partners!

Most Christians I know, particularly Pentecostal Christians feel very comfortable with Paul’s assertion that he wants to know Christ and the power of His resurrection; yet, the average Christians balks at wanting to participate in Christ’s sufferings. Suffering for the sake of Christ is not what they signed up for; and so it is easy for most to just slide past that bit about suffering and sacrifice and move on to the next power surge. The next revival. The next miracle. The next celebration. Where ever the power is, you can look for them there. That’s for sure.

Perhaps one of these days I will muster up enough courage to write a book on suffering. Now, there is where the real power is—that is, in suffering.

I say this primarily for one good reason, and that is that I have yet to meet a saint that hasn’t suffered. Think about it. Have you?

Oh, don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to go looking for a chance to suffer, sooner or later suffering will find you. It will come. Perhaps with a painful divorce, or the sudden unexpected death of a child or a spouse. It will come. Now, the question is—not just for you, but for me and everyone else as well—what will our reaction be? The Bible makes it crystal clear that Jesus did not lose his life. Jesus willingly laid down his life; and I would suggest that this is a lesson for us. That is, to embrace suffering.

Jesus says in John 10:17ff:

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.”

In other words, His suffering was not without purpose. So, for that reason alone He suffered. There was no other way around it. Suffering was a must for Him. He embraced it.

Now, on a different plane and on a different level, we, too, often times must go through tough times which we can either accept and turn into an advantage for the good, or in the worst case scenarios for the bad.

Think about it this way, is it not true that we are part of His mystical body? If that be the case, then we, too, can use our suffering for the good of the body.

Please understand, however, that I am not advocating suffering for suffering’s sake. There is no value in that. What I am saying, however, is that when we suffer it need not be for nothing. Once again, we must take Romans 8:28-29 to heart to make our hardships work for us. For—

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Rom. 8:28-29 NIV)

So, the next time suffering comes your way, embrace it as an opportunity for God to conform you into the image of His dear Son, who in His deepest hour of suffering set the example for us. Paul reminds us that —

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26 ESV).

Now, if that is the case—and I believe it is—what better way may we comfort those that suffer than by sharing the consolation of our suffering with them.

How so, you say? May I suggest that you start with love—the example of His love, so that when you suffer loss you use that as a teachable moment to comfort others in their loss.

Let’s just consider the First Ronald McDonald House, as an example—

It all began in Philadelphia in 1974 when 3-year-old Kim Hill, the daughter of Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill and his wife, Fran, was being treated for leukemia at St. Christopher's Hospital For Children.

During Kim's three years of treatment, the Hills often camped out on hospital chairs and benches and ate makeshift meals out of vending machines, while they watched other parents doing the same thing. They learned that many of the families traveled great distances to bring their children to the medical facility but couldn't afford hotel rooms.

The Hills knew that there had to be a solution. Fred rallied the support of his Eagles teammates to raise funds. Through Jim Murray, the Eagles' general manager, the team offered its support to Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the pediatric oncology unit at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Evans dreamed of a comfortable temporary residence for families of children being treated at her hospital.

Murray enlisted Don Tuckerman from the local McDonald's advertising agency, who with the support of McDonald's Regional Manager Ed Rensi, launched the St. Patrick's Day Green Milkshake (now known as the Shamrock Shake) promotion. Funds raised went toward purchasing an old house located near the hospital.

And thus, the first Ronald McDonald House came to be in Philadelphia in 1974 - a "home away from home" for families of ill children. By 1979, 10 more Houses opened. By 1984, local communities founded 60 more Houses (including our House in Albany); then 53 more opened by 1989. Today, more than 250 Ronald McDonald House programs in 26 countries support families around the world - providing comfort to more than 10 million families since 1974.

What a legacy! And, just to think, it was birthed in sorrow.

The journey is ours, together let's make the best of it!

JimR_/

Why I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions . . .

"One Man's Opinion"
A weekly Christian commentary by Jim Roane

Happy New Year! 2015 is just over the horizon, and with it will come all the joys, toils, and challenges that each new year brings. Some will cringe at the though and cling to the sorrows of yesteryear, while others will embrace each new challenge with confidence and hope for a better tomorrow.

This is just human nature, isn't it?

Fortunately, however, the choice is ours, not in particular to what we face, but how we deal with the challenges. For some of us, this will mean issues of health. Cancer is lurking behind every hospital visit, it seems, these days. If not that, then there is always the chance of something else. For me, the challenge was cancer, now it's to get an upper hand on diabetes. For some it will be the annoying phone calls from debt collectors that threaten to string you up to the nearest yardarm. Well, believe it or not, I too have faced bankruptcy, too; but I refuse to cave in and am better off today than ever before.

So, what's the message?

Well, for me it is pure and simple. Trust! Yes, trust. Trust that if God has seen me through yesterday, He will also see me through all of my todays and tomorrows as well. And, He has. That, however, should not come as a surprise.

Why, you say?

For one good reason, I say. It is because He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. And, that includes walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death . . . and it can't get much worst than that.

So, the choice is ours. We can either wallow around in self pity and pessimism, or choose a far better path, that being, of course, a cheerful optimism that God will keep His word.

In line with this, it may surprise some of you that I do not believe in New Year's Resolutions. Nope. They're a waste of time. If you can not make a new resolution each day to make tomorrow count just a little more for the good, then waiting for New Year to roll around will only end up frustrating you. Bad habits are hard to break, and just working on them once a year is no cure.

So, what's my advice for the New Year?

Oh, that is pretty simple. Resolve each day to do the best you can, and tomorrow will take care of itself. So, here's yours for a better tommorrow!

The journey is ours, let's make the best of it!

JimR_/

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How is grace working for you?

Dear Friends, prayer and financial partners,

Consider this, the Apostle says of himself,

"I have obtained mercy to be faithful" (1 Cor. 7:25, cf. 1 Tim. 1:13).

Notice, he did not say,

"Because I was faithful, I obtained mercy;" but, "I obtained mercy to be faithful."

There's a world of difference here—the difference between works and grace. This is why Paul so aptly spoke when he said—

"I have obtained mercy to be faithful"

I fear that often we Christians feel—or, perhaps, I should say, we act as if we feel that God's grace is really not enough to get us to Heaven. This, no doubt, is because we confuse works with the work of grace. Now, please understand, grace produces works—as in 'does good works.’

However, it can never be said that works ever produces grace. Otherwise, we get our cart of good works pushing grace along. Whereas, in God economy, grace pulls our cart full of good works along—not the other way around.

Complicated? No, not really. Think of works and grace as a kind of spiritual pyramid. Grace is the foundation and works is the superstructure. 

Thus, we must ask ourselves what foundation we are building on? Paul said,

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder (1 Corinthians 3:10)”

Again notice, Paul did not say,

“I laid a foundation as a wise builder”

and left it at that. No, he said,

“By the grace God has given me, I laid the foundation as a wise builder.”

Grace in this, as in all such cases precedes works! Nothing you do that is worthwhile in the Kingdom of God is of your own initiative; nor does works stand alone, grace always precedes works. But let us not forget that you never find grace standing alone, either.

Now, let’s get practical. Have you ever spent an inordinate amount of time trying to convince yourself and perhaps others—including God, that really deep down inside you are a good person by all the good things you have done? If so, I am sorry to inform you that good works initiated by a desire to prove yourself worthy is useless, because, as far as your salvation is concerned it is as Paul said, just a lot of (pardon the crude French) crap (Philippians 3:7-9).

Look it up! Those are Paul’s words, not mine.

Now, may I ask you—“How is grace working for you?”

Do you find living like Christ a task? Is it tedious? Perhaps, even boring? Could it be that you are struggling on your own to do the right things. Things like paying a tithe. Giving to missions. Thinking positive. Staying focused on Christ. Whatever! Then may I suggest that you step back, take a deep spiritual breath and breathe in some of God’s grace. It works every time. And, thank God it does.

Still confused. Here try these verses—

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:9(NLT)

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV)

Through it all, just remember, we are not on this journey alone. He walks beside us.

Jim_/