Daily Bible Readings
Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
The passage in Luke 21 has a number of prophecies, and one of these prophecies is the destruction of the (2nd) Temple (see the devotion for March 28 from earlier this year). The reading in Ezekiel 8-9 has an interesting parallel to that future event with the first temple and the shekinah glory leaving it, and I thought the visual image of the prophet getting snatched up by the hair and carried around was pretty cool, but I won’t dwell too long on that (although it’s absolutely fantastic reading).
I think it’s important to note that even in his extreme anger at the idolatrous atrocities that were going on in Jerusalem among his people, he cared enough for those who resisted that wickedness to have them all marked, and then gave instructions to his heavenly servants to “not touch those who were marked” when they went out to implement God’s wrath (Ezek 9:4-6).
In Luke 21:19 it says “By your endurance you will gain your lives.” Let’s talk about that for a minute. (All scriptures quoted today will be using the REV translation)
Endurance isn’t a word we talk a lot about in the Christian community: we hear a lot about love, a lot about hope, and faith, and blessings, but just sticking it out to the bitter end isn’t something we focus on. Why though? It’s a common scriptural admonition, but I think we tend to avoid it as a discussion point because it usually entails enduring something unpleasant. Probably not as unpleasant as getting nailed to a tree for something you didn’t do, but then again, maybe so. Either way, particularly in our society, we would prefer to talk about happier things, such as love, peace, hope, joy… you know, all the things you might find in a cheerful hallmark card of encouragement. Unpleasant things tend to be avoided, even as a topic of discussion.
Have you ever seen the movie “Rocky”? It’s a classic from 1976 and even people who haven’t seen it have an idea of the plot because it’s become ingrained so deeply in American culture. For those of you who haven’t seen it (or who saw it so long ago that you’ve forgotten the basic plot) Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) is a nobody boxer who’s trying to make it big, and gets the opportunity for the fight of a lifetime against a champion (“Apollo Creed”, played by the late Carl Weathers). The fight lasts for a full 15 rounds, and it’s brutal. Both fighters are barely standing at the end of the fight, horribly disfigured by blows, bleeding heavily, and gasping for breath.
One of the final scenes as the boxing ring is flooded with reporters and excited fans has a brutally ravaged Rocky calling out (barely understandably, due to a mouth deformed and busted up from fist blows) repeatedly for Adrian (his romantic interest), who makes her way into the ring. The guy is barely recognizable as human, he actually lost the fight (by decision, most people forgot that little tidbit), but he endured to the end. It’s not a movie about victory, but about endurance, even through overwhelming odds and despite inhuman levels of punishment. It’s the picture I see in my head when I think about endurance. Adrian!
Patience can also be translated as “longsuffering” and patience (makrothumia) and endurance (hupomonē) occur together in Colossians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 6:4, 6; 2 Timothy 3:10; James 5:10-11 as 2 sides of the same coin, so endurance can be counted among the fruits of the spirit when they are listed in Galatians 5. Here’s the thing: when you are done enduring, you might not be pretty. You might be barely standing up, disfigured and bleeding, and with a mouthful of missing teeth. You might barely be alive. The process of actually having to endure something is, by it’s very nature, unpleasant. Sometimes extremely unpleasant.
Which is why it’s so weird that in James 1:2-4 it says: “My brothers and sisters, count it all joy when you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your trust produces endurance. Now let endurance have its full effect, so that you become fully mature and whole, lacking in nothing.” Joy?! I’m supposed to count it as joy when I’m getting my teeth knocked in?! Yes. The answer is yes.
Not because you’re not a beautiful and unique little snowflake, you are; but because the hardest steel is forged in the hottest fire. That may require some reshaping. You can’t be as strong as God is going to need you to be if you don’t go through some of the heat of adversity, and come out without cracking. More to the point, Jesus told us that by our endurance we will gain our life: if we never have to endure anything, if nothing is ever required of us, if we do not go through the hottest part of the fire to become stronger, we may not live. That’s even less pleasant than any potential adversity, isn’t it? That’s why we should count it as joy.
I don’t know anyone who has had an actual “trial free” life. We’re all tested, constantly, and in a myriad of different ways. I think we need to start talking about endurance as a church, and as a people. If you’ve ever watched the TV show “Forged in Fire” and seen the process by which metal items are created, you’ll get a nice visual example of what I’m talking about. The best weapons formed are subjected to extreme heat, pounded repeatedly, formed and shaped into the desired configuration, and then hardened. It’s not an easy process, but the end result is beautiful.
Luke 21:34-35 says “But watch yourselves so that your hearts do not become weighed down with drunken hangovers, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and then that day come on you suddenly like a snare, for it will come on all those who live on the face of all the earth.” I no longer am concerned about drunken hangovers and drunkenness, but it concerns me deeply that one of the trials that I will need to overcome are “the cares of this life”, because believe me, those abound. I’m worried about providing the best that I can for my family, want to do good at my job, want to make sure that my house and car are in good and operable working condition, want to make sure I’m not late for work, want to make sure my wife is happy, that I take good care of my remaining dog (Bo remains, Luke died from cancer: it was painful), there are a thousand and one things I think about almost constantly: and it’s a snare.
Trust in God. To do that, we need to let a lot of that other stuff go, just release it. Consider these ongoing and upcoming trials as joy, a furnace with which to strengthen you. The God who formed you has a better plan for you than you have for yourself. It may not be the same as your plan, but it will be a better plan. Let go, relax, trust in God…and get ready, because you might need to go the full 15 rounds. Unpleasant or not, whatever trials that you may have coming up may be, nothing. NOTHING will compare to the glories that will be yours in the Kingdom of God, if you just endure.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Why do you think we tend to avoid the unpleasant things?
- Did this understanding change your perceptions about some of these trials? Why, or why not?
- How can we test ourselves, daily, to strengthen ourselves so we can pass these endurance trials when they come?
PRAYER
Father God, grant me strength. Give me focus, and wisdom, and the endurance that I’ll need to not only survive but grow into the servant that you want me to be. Thank you for helping me get this far, please help me to finish the race strong, to your glory. In Jesus name, Amen.
