from the Pastor’s Heart  —  Jesus, shows us The Way…

Of the Five Burden-Fruits of the Cross of Christ that His disciples also bear in their own crosses, the final one for us to be aware of is Submission. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36

Ultimately, as Jesus chose to bear his cross, he was submitting to the will of His Father. The Father could have spared Jesus the suffering, but aren’t you thankful he did not. Three times Jesus struggled and pleaded that he would not have to drink that cup. Three times he walked his Choosing Ground and three times found grace in his time of need to surrender to Abba, Father.

Why? Submitting to the will of another is never a common way to live. Why did Jesus allow his Father to choose a future for him of immanent and immediate suffering and death? Author Ken Gire says, “because more than he feared the cup, he loved the hand from which it comes.”

“Because more than He feared the cup, He loved the hand from which it comes.”

In the death of Jesus we are shown our way of life. As we pick up and carry our own cross, as we live-out the Crucified Life, we too, must drink our cup. As excruciating as it can be, we must resign ourselves to our cup. We all are led to Gethsemane where we must learn how to surrender to God’s will. Jesus submitted & surrendered to the life/death chosen for Him. If we will follow in His steps, we must submit & surrender to the life (and death) Abba has chosen for us. This is the Way of the Cross. This is the way of our cross.

The question is not if we want the cup; rather – do we love the hand from which it comes?

I most often have Counted the Cost of carrying my cross as agony & bewilderment. Nowadays, not so much. I’ve discovered that the Way of the Cross answers all of my “Why?” questions! No more bewilderment and the agony, to my surprise, now has Joy set before it!  —Pastor Gary

FYI: The first 10 people to pickup from the back table a copy of my sermon notes for the Five Burdens and Fruits of the Cross series will be eligible for this weeks $10,000 drawing!