"From the desert to the garden"

The Disciplines of Christ - Part 5

The Art of Prayer

Intro: According to PewResearchCenter 55% of American claim they pray daily and 76% agreed that prayer was an important part of their daily life (http://pewrsr.ch/R44bux). Even in the age of no prayer in school, those statistics really are not that shocking. Why, because people like to pray or they like the idea of prayer. If you don’t think so, test it out for yourself. Go ask some people you don’t know very well if you can talk to them about religion. See what kind of response you get. Then go ask the same group of people if you can pray for them. Which do you suppose they are more open to?

So if people like to pray so much, why does it need to be considered a discipline? Well, let’s remember, a spiritual discipline is done for the purpose of becoming more Godly. In other words, we can pray incorrectly. Jesus knew this, that’s why he said, “when you pray” don’t pray like the hypocrites. Or  “And when you pray, don’t babble on and on like the pagans” (Mt.6:7).

Crying out to God in desperate prayer when we are in trouble or need comes pretty natural, but praying for the purpose of becoming more holy, more like Christ – that takes discipline!

Let’s dive into why…

 

The Discipline – Prayer for the purpose of Godliness.

 The Art of the Prayer

I hesitate to call prayer an art, but for the sake of consistency in our study thank you for indulging me. However, if you read some of the prayers of the Bible, they sound very poetic. Even the “Lord’s Prayer” is written poetically, “Our Father who art in Heaven, hollowed be thy name...” Much of the Biblical prayers are written this way because it makes it easy to remember them. So what if you stammer and stutter like Elmore Fudd when you pray? Do you have to know just the right words and articulate them in a certain way to really pray? Fortunately, when Jesus taught on Prayer he never made eloquence a prerequisite.

 

Now some recommend going by certain patterns when learning to pray. For example the A.C.T.S. prayer pattern (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication). There is nothing wrong with following patterns like these if they help you keep a consistent and focused prayer life.

 

However, for the purpose of D90X and developing prayer as a discipline, you are challenged to establish the P.R.A.Y. foundation for your prayer life.

1)    Persistency – (Luke 18:1-8; Mt 7:7-8) Persistency is required in prayer because of its many benefits: it builds our faith, it teaches us patience, and so much more. Most of all it develops our perseverance which is much needed for all the spiritual disciplines.

2)    Relationship – (Mt. 6:9) Remember you’re talking your heavenly Father (daddy) so carry on a conversation with him in prayer like you would in any real relationship you have.

3)      Authenticity – of mind and heart (Psalm 139:23 – Search me, God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts.) If you’re not going to have honest conversation with God about your innermost feelings and thoughts, your prayers will be weak and ineffective.

4)     Y (why) – asking God questions. (Exodus 5:22, “ …Moses said,…Lord, is this why you have sent me.”) – Moses met with God on many occasions and had many questions for him. If we’re going to have an authentic relationship with God through prayer that builds our faith then what we read in His Word and what we experience in our life will create questions that we have for God. It’s in pursuit of the answers to these questions that we discover God and what he can do in our lives…and like Moses, discover the purpose we are called for in this life.

 

The Story - Jesus is the garden (Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-44)

³² They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ³⁴ “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Luke 22:40-44 (…he said to them, “pray that you do not fall into to temptation,” ⁴¹He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ⁴² “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” ⁴³ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. ⁴⁴ And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.)

³⁵ Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

³⁷ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

³⁹ Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹ Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

 

 

Questions to consider: What elements of P.R.A.Y. do you see in Jesus’ prayer? Why does Jesus tell his disciples to pray? What do you learn about prayer from Jesus in this passage {hint vs.36}?

 

 Helpful Commentary:

It must have felt strange to enter the garden for the last time. Perhaps he felt like we do when we take one last walk through our empty house before we move. Memories cascade and tears flow. It is as if our history and future get compressed in the vice of one pregnant moment. Hope and fear, dreams and doubts collide…

…Here the suffering begins that will culminate on another hill, not so far away. These twin peaks of Gethsemane and Golgotha will punctuate the passion. Eight of his men Jesus leaves at the gate. Three he takes with him to the interior. There they sit, his closest friends, with this simple command: Pray. They fail – three times they fail and fall into temptation. So Jesus, a short distance away, was left alone. This is a trial he will have to face in isolation. He falls on his face and wrestles with God. “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” …He pleaded for the cup wrath to pass. He begged for an alternative path. Three times he prayed, three times the heavens echoed back with thunderous silence: NO, NO, NO.

…Ultimately God’s will prevailed. For Jesus there is no other path. His final choice was made. He cast his lot with the likes of us, to become sin and die in our place. His tears and travail hearken back to another wilderness experience when he first chose this course. Like then, Luke says, the angels arrived to comfort the man of sorrows. He is not nearly as alone as he appears. His weakness becomes resilience. His trudging in the Gethsemane became a victory march on the Via Dolorosa.

Meanwhile, the disciples are asleep. Imagine that! Jesus wrestles, their salvation teeters in the balance, while they drool on the rock with their eyes rolled back in their heads. Had they only known how critical this moment was, had they seen Jesus’ tears, his blood, the angels, perhaps then they would have remained awake. Maybe that’s the crucial problem – perspective. Had they known what we know, surly they would have had the stoic resilience to forfeit sweet sleep. Ah, but there you have it. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Are they really so different from us? Here we stand on the principles of Jesus’ second coming, drooling rocks. The church is in her greatest days, obvious to the Master’s impending return. If we could only see our future as clearly as Peter’s past, perhaps we could stay on task. The hour of prayer is not nearly as long when juxtapose (put side by side) to eternity.                                                ^{Mark Moore, Encounters with Christ, p. 177-178}

                                                          Further Reading: Psalms 2

 

 

  The Application Questions:  

1)            So, are the disciples that different then us? Do they make you feel better or worse about your prayer life? How do you relate to the disciples failure to pray and why?

 

2)            Jesus situation is dire; however, this isn’t his first rodeo. How does Jesus prayer in the dessert (Mt. 4:1-11), prepare him for prayer in the garden and eventually his journey to the cross?

 

3)            GROUP DISCUSSION: Discuss your challenges to P.R.A.Y. (to pray Persistently, Relationally, Authentically, and the “Y” (asking questions). Discuss Jesus’ humanity in his prayer in the garden. What makes it real? What do you say to the fact, that the answer to Jesus’ prayer in the garden was no? What actual good did they prayer do for him since the answer was no? Do you find it hard to accept “No’s” from God?

 

Strengthening your discipline of Prayer:

Prayer and Bible Intake are the two pistons that drive the spiritual disciplines forward. Without them, you handicap yourself spiritually. And as for the Bible, there are many things you can do, skills you can learn, to become a better student of the Word. However, prayer is different. In one sense it’s something you learn to do better, but is it a skill you can develop? Are there special supernatural prayers or words you can pick up to start praying better? No, in that sense, that’s not what prayer is about.

 

If you want to strengthen your discipline of prayer, in one sense you need to STOP praying! Stop praying those ole canned prayers, “Now I lay me down to sleep” “good bread, good food, good Lord…” you get the idea. And if you really want to make a change in your prayer life, you just got to dive into to it. This is not a discipline you need to take baby steps on. Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually.” Start taking your P.R.A.Y.  steps today when you pray. Start treating prayer as a journey or as a pursuit of God and you’ll start seeing changes pretty quick.

 

Sometimes, I make the mistake of thinking, my Bible reading makes up for time I haven’t spent in prayer or sometimes vice versa– I think that my prayer time will make up for the lack of time I have spent in his Word. The truth is that there will be days and weeks we spend more time in prayer and/or his Word. However, the most productive times in my life are when there are a balance of both. D90X is designed to help you create that balance, so if you’re just reading these lessons and are not a part of the D90X challenge. Pick up a booklet this weekend and you’ll see how many of the other spiritual disciplines in D90X actually are designed to help you pray more and more persistently and effectively.

 

Finally, this is the beginning of Holy week. And Adventure Muscatine has an excellent way to give you a booster shot of faith and to your prayer life in its annual Easter Prayer Labyrinth. Check out the dates and times at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adventure-Prayer-Labyrinth-2015/617788261692169

 

 

Praying through today’s discipline: Obviously, before you log off, spend some time in prayer. Think about the P.R.A.Y. mindset as way to consistently approach prayer. Ask your questions, let God search your heart and mind, let him begin to prepare you for change in your life and challenges ahead. If you have never seen your prayer life as a way to develop your relationship with God and other Christ followers, then my prayer is that you start that prayer journey today.

Blessings,

Jason

"The way of the basin and the towel"

The Disciplines of Christ - Part 4

The Art of Service

Intro: Mark 10:25 (NLT) – “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Serving is something everyone does, in the words of Bob Dylan, “it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” So, who do you serve?

It’s tempting to overlook this discipline because we can check off the things that we do at church, in the community, or for the local school and say, “I got this. I serve plenty.” However the art of service is just as much about how we serve and why we serve as it is the actual serving itself. You see, if we are honest, a lot of our “service” is self-serving. We do it because we feel obligated, we want to maintain a good status among our peers, or we simply do it because of what we get in return. If we are not careful, even our most noble acts of service can be construed as self-serving and if you’re serving yourself,  you’re not serving the Lord.

Alright, let’s take a look at this art of service…

The Discipline – Service for the purpose of Godliness.

 The Art of the Service

In the most practical sense service boils down to performing some sort of task, duty, or responsibility for someone or something (i.e. the government). However, there is a difference between serving and being a servant.

In his book, The Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says it well. He says,

“…we must see the difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. When we choose to serve, we are still in charge. We decide whom we will serve and when we will serve. And if we are in charge, we will worry a great deal about anyone stepping on us, that is, taking charge over us.

But when we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. If we voluntarily choose to be taken advantage of, then we cannot be manipulated. When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable.”

Therefore, the art of serving unfolds in a couple different ways.

1)    Making oneself available. Americans tend to be busy, busy, busy, and can’t seem to find the time to serve and help others. That’s why this is a discipline, you have to make time to serve.

2)    Humbling oneself to serve others. It’s easier to serve the ones we love. However, Jesus calls us to love and serve the “least of these”. In order to genuinely pull this off one must become humble.

The Story - Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet (John 13:1-17)

 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Questions to consider: What is most remarkable about Jesus washing the disciple’s feet?  How about verse 11… “¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him,”?   What do we learn about service in regards to Jesus washing the feet (serving) of the one whom he knew would betray him? What do you make of Peter’s comments in verse 9? Is he too over the top?

 Helpful Commentary:

We’ve just got to get daVinci’s painting of the last supper out of our heads. The disciplines did NOT walk single file into the room and sit down all on one side of the table for a photo. In fact, they probably shared a glass of wine with the hosts of the house before climbing the stairs to the upper room. When they entered, several conversations were bantering about the room. Most revolved around a single theme: “which one of us is the greatest?”

…While the twelve are embroiled in controversy, Jesus strips down to the loincloth of a slave. He lays aside his garment to pick up a basin and a towel. The argument at hand has left the undone the menial duty of washing feet. It was the job of the lowest slave of the house to perform that duty. None of the twelve will stoop so low. Jesus does. One by one the fall silent. Shocked, they watch with gaping mouths as the Master kneels, playing the role of a common slave. If they only knew how far he really descended in that moment. If they only knew how long he’d been playing that role!

…The basin and the towel are intimately connected with the cross. Both show Jesus’ program for life. Rather than defending or promoting himself, he chose to lay down his life. His greatness is in his service, his power is in his weakness, his gain in his loss, and his life in his death. The foot-washing episode is part of a larger paradigm, as is the cross. It is a new mode of existence, a new path to God. Instead of approaching God through human wisdom, strength, and self-promotion, Jesus blazed a new trail into this upside-down kingdom where the greatest are the least and the leaders are the servants.

Notice that with both the foot washing and the cross there is a clarion call for his disciples to follow his lead. (The call is to)… trust God rather than promote ourselves, to serve, and if need be, die for, others rather than protect our own interest. (Therefore)…it’s not a prissy gesture of being nice to others. It is a subversive attack on worldly ethics of self-promotion and self-aggrandizement. It is the path of faith that trust God to protect our interest and our honor.

The way of Jesus is the basin and a towel.  ^{Mark Moore, Encounters with Christ, p. 170-172}

                                                          Further Reading: Phil. 2:1-18

  The Application Questions:  

1)            How is the call of the basin and the towel identical to Jesus’ demand that we carry a cross?

2)            Hopefully, you understand that Jesus is not actually calling to wash feet just like he is not actually calling you to carry a cross. So, what is he calling you to actually do? Give some examples.

 

3)            GROUP DISCUSSION: Discuss your problems with serving? Do you find it hard to serve certain people (i.e. children, the elderly, a different race, the poor, those you don’t like). Share with each other how you have overcome your pride and served those who are hard to serve. If you have experience in serving the least of these, discuss how that affected you?

 

Strengthening your discipline of Serving:

 

Matthew 25:40 (NIV) - “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

 This verse is key to transitioning yourself from just serving to becoming a servant. When we see our service to others as serving Jesus it becomes more genuine and real. Furthermore, when we realize that the people we see as unworthy of our love and service are just as much loved by Jesus as we are, it changes our perspective. He loves them as much as he loves us. We are no better or no worse in his eyes.

One unique way I’ve experienced this past week in learning to serve is allowing myself to be served. I’ll admit, I am a little bit like Peter. If Jesus came to wash my feet, I’d say no to Jesus too. I feel unworthy to be served by Jesus. I don’t deserve it. But the words of Jesus ring loud and clear, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

So as I mentioned in last week’s lesson, My daughter had been in the hospital recovering from major surgery. She’s home now recovering, but still needing a lot of help, attention, and care as she recovers. During this whole ordeal over the past couple weeks, we have received tons of prayers, but also help...help from our parents and our church family…help with meals, help with transporting our kids, and cards and gifts.

Now, I don’t mind serving others, but it’s hard for me to accept help, especially gifts. So over the past week, I have noticed something, I really appreciated the help we received. We could have got by without it, but it would have just been more stressful and tiring.

What I learned is this; I had to humble myself to allow other people to serve me. As a result, I was humbled even more, my heart went out to other people I’ve known who have struggled through similar situations and even worse and I want to do a better job of serving (loving) them.

Lastly, if you really want to be a better servant, start with those close to you. If you’re not serving your spouse, family, or those close to you; God will not honor your service to others. I repeat! It is ungodly and unbiblical to neglect your own household in order to provide/serve the household of others.

Thanks for tuning in. Next week we’ll look at how Jesus demonstrates the art of Prayer.

 

Praying through today’s discipline: Before you log off, spend some time in prayer considering how you serve, why you serve, and who you serve. Maybe ask God to direct you on how to be a better servant. Ask God to humble you and make you aware of the needs around you  and then ask for the courage to serve those who are  hardest to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

"The road less traveled"

The Disciplines of Christ - Part 3

The Art of Suffering

 

Intro: It is human nature to avoid pain. It’s not just human nature…any animal with any sense tries to avoid pain.  But so far as followers of Christ are concerned, the path of least resistance is not always the most beneficial path.  Romans 5:3^(NIV) says – “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope”. In other words, we can celebrate in our suffering because it can be very beneficial. This means, suffering is not an antonym of the discipline of celebration. On the contra, there is joy that can be found in our suffering. But that’s not what makes suffering a discipline.

 Let me explain, you see many do not see suffering as a spiritual discipline. Suffering cannot be avoided, so how is it a discipline? It’s like saying breathing is a discipline. But remember, a discipline is done with the purpose of becoming more Godly. That’s why it’s not just “suffering”, it’s the Art of Suffering and it’s an art because it’s done for the purpose of becoming Godly (more like Christ).

Furthermore, the apostle Paul said, “train yourself for the purpose of Godliness”. That’s what the disciplines are about, that’s the approach of D90X, to treat these disciplines as spiritual training. And just as pain is a part of physical training so too is pain a part of spiritual training. To borrow a cliché: No pain, no gain. That’s what makes it an essential discipline. To avoid it is to avoid gain. It sucks, it hurts, and it makes you want to cuss, but listen…it’s the way of the cross.   It’s the way to Jesus. Jesus said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”

You ready to begin now?

Let’s do this…

The Discipline – Suffering for the purpose of Godliness.

 The Art of the Suffering

Paul invites us to step up to this discipline… “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 2:3^NIV . It’s the sound of the leader of the army calling his soldiers to battle. To accept this call to battle takes discipline because our instinct is to run from pain or to take the easy road.

The art of suffering unfolds in a couple different ways.

1) Suffering Well -  We all suffer for different reasons, but how we handle that suffering is what distinguishes us as followers of Christ. Suffering well comes from the hope we have in Christ. Instead of running from the pain, we suffer well by leaning on Jesus through our trials. Then not only does Jesus see us through the pain, he makes us stronger because of it. This leads us to the second part of the art of suffering.

2) The Road Less Traveled - This is when we know that the road ahead of us is going to be painful; however, we take the road anyway. This means we choose to suffer. We recognize that as soldiers of the cross, we have to take the road of blood, tears, and sweat now and again.

Please understand, suffering is somewhat subjective, what one person is devastated by-- another person might shrug off. On a small scale example, finger nails on a chalk board are torture to my ears, but to another they may not even notice it. Nonetheless, we all experience pain and suffering in different ways. Therefore, don’t judge another person’s suffering. Worry about your own.

Now, I could have include a video clip here of the Passion of Christ and exposed you to the visual suffering that Jesus went through. However, to really understand this art of suffering isn’t to witness Hollywood’s version of Jesus’ suffering? Instead, this week’s story will take us back to the words of the OT prophet Isaiah as he lays out the journey of the suffering Jesus will endure. Read it devotionally, and understand this while you read it. Jesus knew every word you are about to read long before he took that first step on the road to Calvary.

 

The Story Foretold - The Suffering and Glory of the Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:1-12)

¹³ See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. ¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— ¹⁵ so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. 53 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. ⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. ⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. ¹¹ After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Questions to consider: What is most striking about the description of Jesus’ suffering?  How about verse 10… “it was the Lord’s will to …cause him to suffer?” Enduring your own sufferings is one thing, but give some honest thought to this…could you allow your child to suffer? If so, how much before you step in to stop it? What is more painful, to suffer yourself or to watch one you love suffer? Lastly, is there someone you would suffer for? Think of the names of the ones you would suffer for, which means, if they were in pain (suffering incredibly) you’d take their place if you could? Why would you do this?

 

Personal Commentary:

I’ll admit…I had several other disciplines in mind before this subject of suffering. There are only 13 in this D90X study and I wasn’t even sure I was going to include  this one in my study, but suffering has been on my heart as of late. I’ve spent that past week watching my oldest daughter suffer in the hospital. She’s ok.  She will be home soon and well on her way to a healthy recovery. It was a surgery she needed. Without it, she would likely endure a shorter life span with more health complications and suffering. In the grand scheme of things, it was an easy decision. Allow her to endure a few months of suffering so that she could avoid a lifetime of it. As easy of a decision as it might have been, it still didn’t keep the tears away. No matter how necessary the suffering, it still hurts and it especially hurts when it’s someone you love deeply who is enduring it. I’d take her place in a heartbeat just as any loving father would.

 

Now, this passage in Isaiah above is obviously a foreshadowing of the suffering that Christ would endure. It’s referred to many times in the NT as such. However, Isaiah’s original audience is the people of Israel, God’s people, God’s children. Little did they know that they were sick. They were going to be surgically removed from their homes. Much suffering was in store for God’s children, but God knew it was necessary because in the grand scheme of things it would be temporary. But their suffering pales in comparison to the suffering written about in Isaiah 53. This is a suffering God not only allowed, but planned for. Furthermore it’s a suffering that Jesus was well aware of. On that road into Jerusalem that week before his crucifixion his moves were deliberate steps on the road less traveled. Every step was one step closer to his suffering.  And yet, even as he journeyed that road, the scriptures tell us he wept, not for his upcoming suffering, but the suffering he knew was in store for the people.

                                                          Further Reading: Romans 8:17-18; Phil. 3:10

 

 

The Application Questions:  

1)            Do a suffering inventory: In what ways have you suffered? How much of your suffering has been because of your own poor choices? How much of your suffering has been God developing your character? How much of your suffering has been deliberate steps on the road less traveled? Overall, have you suffered well?

 

2)            GROUP DISCUSSION: Discuss your problems with suffering? Has anyone ever been mad at God because of the suffering he has allowed in their life?  Share with each other how you dealt with that anger. Share your experiences of how God helped you through your suffering and how God has helped teach you to suffer well. Share with one another how grateful you are for your sufferings because of the growth that has come because of it.

 

3)            Finally, what difficult steps of faith have you been putting off because you fear that they will be too painful? Some practical examples of the “road less traveled” are tithing, waiting for marriage before you have sex, and biblically addressing a problem/conflict instead of gossiping about it. These are just a few practical steps of faith that many avoid because of fear of difficulty or pain.

 

4)      Gut check question: Think about the names of the people you would suffer for if you could. Now think about this, when you don't suffer well in this life or you avoid suffering (the road less traveled), what are you teaching them? You're teaching them not to suffer. Your teaching them to take the easy road when they can. Therefore, when you do endure suffering "like a good soldier" you are in a sense, suffering for them. You are showing them the road of suffering is a worthy one to travel.

Strengthening your discipline of Suffering:

 Psalm 34:17 (NIV) - The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

 One way of strengthening your discipline of suffering well is to lament your suffering. A lament is a holy complaint to God. Suffering causes an era of emotions that need to be vented from time to time. This is like a relief value for the pressure that builds up. Without the proper spiritual venting a Christian will not suffer well, instead you just become a hurt person who hurts others. For more information on lamenting, check out Jason’s lesson at…. http://bit.ly/18TGCNg

Praying through today’s discipline: Before you finish and log off, spend some time in prayer considering your suffering. Have you suffered well or not? Maybe you need to begin to deal with some of the resentment you have with God or others because of your suffering. I encourage you to listen to the following song by Jeremy camp called He Knows. It’s about how God knows your suffering and with his help you can get through it.

 

 

For further instruction in the Art of Suffering:

1)    One book in the preferred reading for D90X is The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg. This book will give you encouragement to stick with the disciplines, but its final chapter is about enduring suffering.

 

2)    There are books that have been written on the subject of Christian suffering and why God allows it. The only one D90X recommends is C.S. Lewis book the Problem with Pain, if you have read something helpful post your recommendation in the comments.

 

3)    Read some scripture on suffering and put it to practice. For example, if there is a “road less traveled” you’ve been avoiding, memorize some of these scriptures, commit them to prayer, and take some steps of faith on that road.