"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).
They were living to themselves; self with its hopes, and promises and dreams, still had hold of them; but the Lord began to fulfill their prayers. They had asked for contrition, and had surrendered for it to be given them at any cost, and He sent them sorrow; they had asked for purity, and He sent them thrilling anguish; they had asked to be meek, and He had broken their hearts; they had asked to be dead to the world, and He slew all their living hopes; they had asked to be made like unto Him, and He placed them in the furnace, sitting by "as a refiner and purifier of silver," until they should reflect His image; they had asked to lay hold of His cross, and when He had reached it to them it lacerated their hands.
They had asked they knew not what, nor how, but He had taken them at their word, and granted them all their petitions. They were hardly willing to follow Him so far, or to draw so nigh to Him. They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at Bethel, or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as the apostles when they thought that they had seen a spirit, and knew not that it was Jesus. They could almost pray Him to depart from them, or to hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot go back, for they have come too near the unseen cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply within them. He is fulfilling to them His promise, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).***
But now at last their turn has come. Before, they had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel it. He has fastened on them His look of love, as He did on Mary and Peter, and they can but choose to follow.
Little by little, from time to time, by flitting gleams, the mystery of His cross shines out upon them. They behold Him lifted up, they gaze on the glory which rays from the wounds of His holy passion; and as they gaze they advance, and are changed into His likeness, and His name shines out through them, for He dwells in them. They live alone with Him above, in unspeakable fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and what they might have had), and to be unlike all, so that they are only like Him.Such, are they in all ages, "who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth."
Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His Kingdom. They would have had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere--if God had taken off His hand and let them stray back--what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the resurrection? But He stayed them up, even against themselves. Many a time their foot had well nigh slipped; but He in mercy held them up. Now, even in this life, they know that all He did was done well. It was good to suffer here, that they might reign hereafter; to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above; and that not their will but His was done on them and in them. --Anonymous.***
So often, we tend to surrender to our natural proclivities to seek self in lieu of the cross. Trust me, I know, it is much easier to seek self. From a superficial perspective, seeking self is less painful than the alternative; living unto the Lord. Yet, self-seeking does nothing for spiritual growth. Seeking self does nothing for the advancement of the kingdom.
We shun the cross at all costs. The cross represents pain and sacrifice. The cross represents dying to self in order that we might live to Christ. It must become the understanding of every believer that when we shun the cross we shun the deliverance of power to carry out our Christian responsibilities. When we seek to circumvent the vicissitudes of life, we maneuver around our blessings. When we contend with the cross we dim our light and our impact.
God uses our struggles as the furnace of purification; he refines us over and over in the furnace of heartache until we begin to reflect His image.
If it were up to us, we would never experience the heartbreak of burying a child. If it were our choice, we would ever be dominated by the devastation of divorce. If we would could cast of lot, it would not be for financial disarray, but God knows what's best for us. When we find ourselves in the midst of the struggle and it seems that we can't pray our way out, it is God telling us that He is more concerned with our Character than He is with our comfort.
Comfort cannot develop character, but the long winds of suffering is a great teacher. Convenience has no power to bend the stubborn recalcitrant will of the believer, but the unyielding crushing of heartache releases the anointing. Perfect environment contains no intrinsic value to the believer, but the darkness that often accompanies the vicissitudes of life hones the spiritual senses and develops vigilance.Whatever you do today, remember, No Cross; No Crown. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace
