Good morning, the new week began yesterday in worship, and it continues today in our work for Christ. You will probably not be surprised to find out that I don't have all of the answers. Not to my own situation, and certainly not to yours. However, I know someone who does have those answers. Especially to the great question that all of us have within our hearts, and that question is "Why?" We might ask, and probably have many times before, "Why do we suffer?". The key to this is, of course, in the Bible. The best example that I can think of is the time that James and John asked Jesus to reserve seats for them in Heaven. Now these will be very special seats, the thrones at the left and right of Jesus' own throne. Jesus asked them if they were willing to pay the price - I'm sure knowing full well that the brothers had no idea just what that cost would be - and then assuring them that they would indeed share in His cup. You might make the connection that this was fulfilled symbolically at the Last Supper. However, both James and John later shared in Jesus cup of suffering, just as we do in this day nearly 2,000 years later.
That cup of suffering, which you and I might have felt upon awakening this morning, is a heavy burden to bear. Take comfort in this: Jesus allows us to share in His cup of suffering that we might be made holy and share in His own glory. Now that glory and the wiping away of our suffering has not happened yet if you are reading this message here on this earth. We share in the suffering that we might be welcomed home by Jesus on that great day of the Lord. Does that ease the pain of our earthly suffering? Yes, I believe that it does, because knowing the "why" of something gives us an insight into God's great plan. Look at it this way: If your boss gives you some seemingly insignificant and onerous task, you have a tendency to rebel and grumble. However, if the boss later tells you why the task needs to be done by you, the "why", assuming that it makes sense to you, will make the entire situation much easier, perhaps even enjoyable, to perform.
My platoon mates and I, serving our time in Marine boot camp, often found ourselves on the receiving end of many seemingly worthless and time-wasting activities. However, upon an explanation from the drill instructor, we would find that the task was indeed worthless and time-wasting. Just kidding, I can't think of any task that did not have some good explanation, though it may not have occurred to us at the time. The explanation for some suffering that you or I may be experiencing this morning may not seem obvious to us right now. I have faith that in the day when we stand before Jesus and look back at where we came from one final time, all of the incidents where we may have cried "why?" to our Father in Heaven will become quite clear to us, and the reason will become crystal clear and perfect, just like everything that God does for us.
Why me, Lord? ...Because I love you!
Trust in God's great plan for you today,
Bucky
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