Irresistible Invitation by Maxie Dunham - Day 24

Irresistible Invitation:  Responding to the Extravagant Heart of God                   

Day 24:  The Surest Path of All

 

When he had received the drink Jesus said, “It is finished.”

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:30

 

We are called to live in solidarity with our Lord and Savior.  In so doing, we are called to meet him on the cross.  Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).  “If we are going to see Jesus, we have to see him on the cross—vulnerable and weak.  This is our Lord.  This is the One we follow. 

 

In Romans 5:3-5, Maxie tells us we find a strange thought: “we are to rejoice in our sufferings.”  It wasn’t easy to be a Christian in Rome.  “In Rome, Christians were burned at the stake to provide light for the emperor’s sporting events.  They were fed to hungry beasts to entertain the clamoring mobs.”  Paul is so certain that we are to be in solidarity with the suffering of the one who suffered in our behalf that he tells us to rejoice in our suffering.  And our strength in our suffering comes from Jesus, not our own strength.

 

As Maxie wrote: “We face situations differently according to the difference within us.  If we’ve allowed ourselves to become weak when circumstances challenge us, if we whine and grovel under affliction, then when crisis comes, we can do nothing but despair.  On the other hand, if we insist on meeting life with our heads up, determined to face and conquer obstacles, we can meet every situation with hope for victory.”

 

We need to be very clear in understanding that our faith in Christ does not save us from suffering.  Our faith itself is one based upon a God who suffers.  The cross of Jesus is how we are assured that we are not alone against the darkness of our life; no, God is with us indeed.  It would have seemed that all hope for humanity was killed on the cross with Christ, but something happened that day.  “That which first seemed to be tragedy became the greatest triumph known to humanity.”  God brings triumph out of darkness.  Because of this truth, we are able to offer our own suffering to Christ.  We can believe “that God will not waste any of our suffering and struggle,” but that all will be redeemed. 

 

Martin Luther was clear: “He who does not bear the cross is no Christian, for he is not like his Master, Jesus Christ… The cross teaches us to believe in hope even when there is no hope.  The wisdom of the cross is deeply hidden in a profound mystery.  In fact, there is no other way to heaven than taking up the cross of Christ.  On account of this we must beware that the active life with its good works, and the contemplative life with its speculations, do not lead us astray.  Both are most attractive and yield peace of mind, but for that very reason they hid real dangers, unless they are tempered by the cross and disturbed by adversaries.  The cross is the surest path of all.  Blessed is the man who understand this truth.  It is a matter of necessity that we be destroyed and rendered formless, so that Christ may be formed within us, and Christ alone be in us. … Real mortifications do not happen lonely places away from the society of other human beings.  No!  They happen in the home, the market place, in secular life. … ‘Being conformed to Christ’ is not within our powers to achieve.  It is God’s gift, not our own work.”

 

Hear Luther’s warning clearly: In both our contemplative and active lives, we can be led astray.  Both can be inviting and bring us peace of mind.  “Yet, implicit in both is the danger of betraying our Christian vocation.  Peace can be seductive and numb us to the need for a dynamic relationship and dependence on God.  The cross is essential.  Keeping the cross at the center of our awareness always-just like Paul- forces us to asses the depth of our discipleship and the degree of our surrender to Christ.

 

The Heart of the Matter

 

-         How do you think perseverance in suffering leads to character, and how do you think character leads to hope?

-         Have you experienced rebellion and / or resignation in your relationship with God?  Describe your experience.

-         What does “sharing in Christ’s sufferings” mean to you?