Out is Selfish, Through is Selfless

The time we are living in is unprecedented for our generation. I am sure that those who have gone through the Spanish flu or either of the world wars may have thought the same thing. I can remember the surreal feeling of what it was like around America after the 9/11 attacks and how it didn’t seem like everything was really happening. Personally, I remember dealing with personal medical issues for four years and the thoughts of “why God” and “when will this end” happening every single day. This coronavirus situation has so many unknowns concerning not only personal health but what does it look like to interact in a crowd again or the long term damage done to the stock market by everything coming to a screeching halt.
 
Then I think of the week we are in and the chain of events started with Palm Sunday leading up to the eventual crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday and the rush of emotions the disciples and especially Jesus had. The full range of feelings as he entered into his last days on this earth and doing everything he could to prepare the disciples to carry his message after he was gone.
 
I think we forget the term “Jesus was as much God as he was man and as much man as he was God” and the power of that statement. Even in the garden when he was praying the night he was betrayed in Luke 22:42 that says “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." It is strange to think that Jesus was saying on one hand, “Dad, if there is ANY OTHER WAY this can happen I am all for it.” Jesus was showing his human side of not wanting or desiring to have to go through pain in life. The rest of the statement shows the “God-side” of who he was in saying that if it was God’s will then he would do what needed to be done, and not begrudgingly.
 
I highlighted this verse to share a few important things to consider in the life of a believer.
 
First, is that Jesus knows what it is like to not want to have to go through suffering.
The following verse in Luke says that even Jesus needed an angel from heaven to help strengthen him in this time of need. If Jesus would have said, “no, that is not going to work God. Remember, I am part of the trinity TOO” that would have not been God’s plan and selfish. Because Jesus chose to go THROUGH with the plan that God set out,  he self-LESS-ly gave his life for us to have an eternal connection to the Father.
 
In this coronavirus season, some people have speculated if this is all the devil causing harm or is it God’s judgement on the earth or just some test to see who is for God and who is against Him. I think the more important question is what are we going to learn now that everyone is in it?  As followers of Christ, we have two options; to only focus on the “why and when will this end” and selfishly get through this time and learn nothing or to say WHAT are you trying to teach me about myself, my spending habits, the things I hold dear and be self-LESS to God and his plan.  God uses  all things we go through to help make us better citizens of earth and MEMBERS of heaven.
 
Today is the day to trust in God and his plan for your life and for our world. God is not up in heaven worried or nervous about what is happening right now and the quicker that we recognize that fact the quicker we can run into the security of knowing that God is not going to leave us in our greatest time of need. The question has ALWAYS been not about God’s faithfulness but our attitude in times of trial.

If you were to take stock right now, what is your thought pattern?  To just want to selfishly GET OUT of what we are in or to selflessly say, “not my will but your will be done-”  Purify and refine me.
 
Praying for you and the peace that passes all understanding to GUARD your heart in this time of need.

Brian Morris
General Manager @ Rocky Mountain CTN
Enjoy Life.    Consider Eternity.