Standing Firm In Jesus Until The End

"Today's Devotion" For September 30, 2005

Read: Matthew 24:1-14; Romans 8:18-25

STANDING FIRM IN JESUS UNTIL THE END

"...but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world, and then the end will come."(Mt. 24:13b-14)

How great is your threshold for pain? Personally, I'm a wimp. I hate pain. If I could do without it I'd be a "happy camper." Reality, however, is different. Pain is very much a part of life. In fact, in the martial arts for instance, it's taught that embracing pain and making it a part of you actually defeats it and it no longer is in control. To be honest, I've never really understood that philosophy. However, there's one lesson on pain that I remember clearly. It stands out like a beacon in the night.

While stationed in San Diego at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in the early 80's, I was a Training Battalion Chaplain. While doing my sick bay rounds one day I ran across an interesting situation - and a lesson about pain. One of the Navy nurses, a Lieutenant Commander was speaking to a Marine recruit who had gone to sick call. He was "goldbricking," - he was at sick call in an attempt to get out of training for at least that day. While she examined him and asked him questions about his "illness" he whined about how tough boot camp was. The nurse, a mother of three children smiled sweetly at him and just nodded her head as he regaled her with the painful aspects of training and how much he was hurting. She gave him some advice, counseling him on persevering and encouraging him to continue to do his best. Good advice, but not well received by the recruit. I marveled at her patience. Finally, after spending a good bit of time listening to him, she put her hands on his shoulders, looked him squarely in the eye, and said, "Son, until you have given birth to a child, and particularly twins, as I have, don't even presume to talk to me about pain." His jaw dropped and the silence was deafening.

Talking about pain, just take a look at the world around us. Pain is everywhere. We see murders, drug abuse, broken families, orphaned children, scandal and corruption in high places (and low), wars, terrorism, bickering and fighting among families, communities, political leaders, and nations. Then there's the pain of famine, hunger, homelessness, and natural disasters, just to name a few. The list is seemingly endless when it comes to the sources and causes of pain and suffering. Yet the bottom line cause for all this pain and suffering is identified by a three-letter word: SIN. According to the Bible, SIN is a condition of separation between God and humanity. It's a condition that causes broken relationships among people and between humanity and the created order. The whole of Creation suffers from this condition. The decay it brings with it is everywhere. As soon as anything is born it already begins to die. No matter how hard we might work to alleviate pain and suffering around the world and no matter how hard we might work to avoid pain and suffering for ourselves the truth is that pain and suffering cannot be avoided this side of heaven. They are a reality of life. While we human beings want things to be good and pain free we can rest assured that such will not happen while the earth still exists.

As we face the pain of the world caused by Sin, we do so with the assurance that in Christ Jesus we are able to overcome and endure until He calls us home to Himself. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls us to Himself, forgiving us of all our sins, and commands us to get the Good News - the Gospel - out to the world so it might know, in Him, the cessation of its pain and suffering. Ironically, getting the Gospel out is also a painful process. People need to hear it in order to be reborn by faith in Christ into God's Kingdom. Such faith in Jesus is essential for new life and hope. Without that hope in Christ there can be nothing but eternal suffering. Yet, human beings balk at the Good News; they laugh at it's "simplicity" and "foolishness" (cf. I Cor. 1:18ff.), and make the entire process of sharing God's love in Christ with others painful, stressful, and sometimes quite dangerous

Yet, as the people of God, redeemed in Christ and filled with God's gift of faith in Him, we are called to stand firm in Jesus in the face of all such opposition. Jesus compares the suffering caused by Sin and the struggle to share the Gospel in the face of Sin's opposition to birth pains. The wonderful outcome of the pain and struggle of the "birth pains" that are a result of the Gospel being shared in the world probably has no greater example than a discussion with a mother who has given birth. She will tell you that while she was in great agony while giving birth to her child, that the pain is all forgotten when that newborn, that new life, is placed into her arms. That's the joy and promise of new life and new birth for a lost and fallen world. Its return to God, its rebirth in Christ, is a painful experience. But what joy and peace there is in the end when salvation and heaven are ours!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, all around me I see pain and suffering. Wars, famine, rumors of war, terrorist acts, poverty and hunger are all occurring at this very moment. It's easy for me to be distracted by all these things and forget that You paid the total penalty for the Sin of the whole world. Despite the pain and suffering and all the evil in this world, Your grace, mercy, and love prevail. The Good News of the kingdom is being made known all over the world. Please, Lord Jesus, help me, by the power of Your Spirit, to forget the pain of living and revel in the peace You bring to my relationship with God. Help me to live a life that proclaims Your kingdom and let my voice be an instrument of Your love. In Your most holy and precious name I pray, O Precious Savior. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.