not even close
one thing i know is true... even all of my trials and sufferings in a lifetime will not come close to what the Lord Jesus has suffered through for my redemption ... thank you Lord Jesus, I am blessed indeed!
Christ suffered
I remember having a short discussion with some of my friends two years ago when they compared the Lord Jesus with a soldier fighting for his country. They said it is more honourable for the soldier to die than it was for Christ to die, because the soldier did not know where he would be going when he dies, so the risk he was taking was much greater compared to the Lord Jesus who knew He would die to go to heaven. Although I disagree and don't remember having a concluding point to the discussion, it somehow pointed me to the thought of the humanity of Christ.
It is amazing mystery to consider the Lord Jesus being fully human and fully God at the same time, something which until now I struggle to comprehend, and yet by faith I believe it is true. And through many occasions of listening to this beautiful truth being preached, I am constantly confronted with the fact that although the Lord Jesus was fully man, He did not have the capacity to sin. The Lord Jesus just could not sin, it was against His nature to sin. Hence, I was troubled as to how would sin have an effect on the Lord Jesus if He could not sin. My limited brain cells tried to comprehend it but I just could not. Human beings struggle with sin all the time, and I wanted to know what the high preist mentioned in Hebrews 4:15 felt.
Just today, a brother came to visit our assembly at Bedminster road. At the end of the breaking of bread, this brother shared a few thoughts of the suffering of Christ in Hebrews. There were a few verses he pointed out in Hebrews, all of which one of them stood out like a clear answer from God. Hebrews 2:18 "For in that he Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted." The Lord Jesus was indeed affected when He was tempted with sin, not that He struggled like we would struggle with sin, because that would imply a possiblity to sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ could not sin but rather He knew pain in a much deeper level, He suffered for sin... Christ suffered... our High priest who knows our infirmities... suffered.
If I may quote or rephrase what the brother shared: "...a natural man succumbs to sin, a spiritual man struggles with sin, but Christ suffered for sin..."
It is amazing mystery to consider the Lord Jesus being fully human and fully God at the same time, something which until now I struggle to comprehend, and yet by faith I believe it is true. And through many occasions of listening to this beautiful truth being preached, I am constantly confronted with the fact that although the Lord Jesus was fully man, He did not have the capacity to sin. The Lord Jesus just could not sin, it was against His nature to sin. Hence, I was troubled as to how would sin have an effect on the Lord Jesus if He could not sin. My limited brain cells tried to comprehend it but I just could not. Human beings struggle with sin all the time, and I wanted to know what the high preist mentioned in Hebrews 4:15 felt.
Just today, a brother came to visit our assembly at Bedminster road. At the end of the breaking of bread, this brother shared a few thoughts of the suffering of Christ in Hebrews. There were a few verses he pointed out in Hebrews, all of which one of them stood out like a clear answer from God. Hebrews 2:18 "For in that he Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted." The Lord Jesus was indeed affected when He was tempted with sin, not that He struggled like we would struggle with sin, because that would imply a possiblity to sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ could not sin but rather He knew pain in a much deeper level, He suffered for sin... Christ suffered... our High priest who knows our infirmities... suffered.
If I may quote or rephrase what the brother shared: "...a natural man succumbs to sin, a spiritual man struggles with sin, but Christ suffered for sin..."
snapshots
I noticed something interesting while watching American Idol recently. At the end of the results show they would show a short clip of the journey of the out going contestant.
Clips like these tend to show the best of what the contestants have gone through, leaving you with a sense of reluctance to see one leaving the competition after all the effort put in. As usual, things like these just come into my mind during my walk to lectures. Somehow I started to think about things like what if someone were to take similar snapshots of my life? What would the highlights be? What would they show? Would I leave my mark on this earth just like the contestants left their mark in the competition? Would someone look at the snapshots of my life and say to themselves, it would be a pity to see him go?
All these thoughts ran through my head not because I want to be famous among men, but rather reminding myself of how i should be living my life. Have I lived my life so that the one who gave me life looks at it and gives a nod of approval? Or would He shake His head with disappointment? Funny how the way we live our lives can be taken for granted when we forget that life is given to us, not something we own with our own right.
When I am reminded that I am accountable to God for the way I live my life, I am also reminded of the one who lived His life in full accountability to His father in Heaven. When Christ Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life, it was indeed something to be grasped. His holy life which we remember week after week, serves to remind us that His life is the quintessence of holy living. Now if someone were to take snapshots of my life, I would hope that somewhere in between the laughing and crying, there is something that reflects the way my Lord Jesus lived His life. If that is so, I can say with confidence... I have made my mark.
Clips like these tend to show the best of what the contestants have gone through, leaving you with a sense of reluctance to see one leaving the competition after all the effort put in. As usual, things like these just come into my mind during my walk to lectures. Somehow I started to think about things like what if someone were to take similar snapshots of my life? What would the highlights be? What would they show? Would I leave my mark on this earth just like the contestants left their mark in the competition? Would someone look at the snapshots of my life and say to themselves, it would be a pity to see him go?
All these thoughts ran through my head not because I want to be famous among men, but rather reminding myself of how i should be living my life. Have I lived my life so that the one who gave me life looks at it and gives a nod of approval? Or would He shake His head with disappointment? Funny how the way we live our lives can be taken for granted when we forget that life is given to us, not something we own with our own right.
When I am reminded that I am accountable to God for the way I live my life, I am also reminded of the one who lived His life in full accountability to His father in Heaven. When Christ Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life, it was indeed something to be grasped. His holy life which we remember week after week, serves to remind us that His life is the quintessence of holy living. Now if someone were to take snapshots of my life, I would hope that somewhere in between the laughing and crying, there is something that reflects the way my Lord Jesus lived His life. If that is so, I can say with confidence... I have made my mark.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)