Running With Patience
Pete’s son Chris is visiting from Scotland where he pastors a church. He’s also a fitness trainer there. Chris has followed in his father’s footsteps and ministers to a unique congregation at a church known as Mosaic. A mosaic uses scraps: rejected and broken pieces, to produce a work of art. Chris’ congregation in Scotland is a mosaic of people from his community. They minister to everyone from world renowned physics professors to homeless people. This is a place that is intentionally designed to minister to “asylum seekers” from all walks of life. They cater especially to refugees from other countries. One refugee came to their church and said, “I want to get involved.” He did not profess to be a Christian but has become “infected” over the last few months. He will be baptized in the faith when Chris returns back to Scotland.
Chris came back to the States with his wife and two daughters to spend time with his mom Suzan who’s battling cancer. Part of Chris’ ministry is helping his own daughters through this ordeal. Suzan is her grand daughters’ heroine and they are sharing in the joys and the griefs of this ordeal.
When we experience the pain of this world, we don’t quite understand the plan for us that our Heavenly Father is orchestrating behind the scenes. Yesterday was such a day. They received a report from Suzan’s neuro-ophthalmologist with the results of her latest MRI and spinal tap. The doctor put the images on the monitor and showed Pete and Suzan that the cancer has come back with a vengeance. Although previous tests showed no new cancers, these new tests reveal new tumors beginning to grow “everywhere” in her brain. They have a follow up with another neuro ophthalmologist next week to discuss treatment plans.
When God called Adam and Eve after the fall of man, God told them that there would be pain and suffering in the fallen world. However, there is a promise of life in the suffering. Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot rise up from the ground and bear fruit. Even in our fallen state, the hope of life after we die is that we will be raised again in righteousness, goodness, and true holiness. To navigate this life, we must view this life from God’s eternal perspective. According to Ephesians, from God’s eternal vantage point, we’re already seated in heavenly places in Christ. From our finite earthly perspective we cannot know what God has in mind from his eternal perspective. Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ stepped into history for one purpose: your redemption and mine. There are bigger things going on in heaven than the temporal fleeting things of this world. Although the things of this world overwhelm us, we need to be prepared for good news or bad news from the world’s perspective. These things knock us off balance for a season. However, with a Christ centered eternal perspective we will overcome the temporary setbacks of the news of this world. We need to prepare our hearts to focus on God’s eternal perspective: To spend time in his Word…to journal what God is teaching us day by day…to be instant in prayer in season and out of season…to live to walk in fellowship with our Heavenly Father, his son Christ Jesus and one with another in the household of Faith.
God says I will never leave you nor forsake you. He says that everything works together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. We look forward to God’s judgement of our faith where we trust in him to take us through the trials of this life. We can finish strong in the Lord or we can go out bitter and resentful. Our challenge is to remain faithful and look forward to our Master’s encouraging words, “Well done thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in the temporary things of this world, enter now into the Joy of the Lord.”
Hebrews 12:1-3 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
This passage was written after the great “hall of faith” chapter in Hebrews 11. The great cloud of witness was the testimony of Old Testament believers who put their faith and trust in Him. Life is hard because of the sin nature that encumbers us…that says “I’m the center of my own life.” In order to run faithfully the race that is set before us, we need to look to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We run together with those in hot pursuit of our Lord Jesus… We live to choke the dust of those whose heart’s desire is to run focused on the prize of the upward calling; their eyes fixed upon the prize. He’s the one who conquered the grave and finished the race before us. He for the Joy set before him endured the cross, finished the race and is set down upon the right hand of God. Although life is filled with disappointments and heartbreak, Jesus Christ endured for the joy of your redemption and mine. The ultimate goal is our eternal fellowship with Him. Therefore, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of his Glory and Grace.
As Paul said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. We look toward the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. We’re here to fix our eyes upon Jesus so we’ll get to the finish line together. We draw strength from each other and from our brother our Lord Jesus Christ who blazed the trail before us.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael