Wednesday, August 16

This isn’t heaven

Scripture: Mark 6

Observation

Something different today. This chapter records many healings of sick people and the miracles of feeding the 5000 and walking on water. It also records Jesus being rejected at Nazareth, the beheading of John the Baptist, a much needed vacation interrupted, and finally a difficult sail across the lake. The agony and the ecstasy. Life is always a mixture of the good and the bad. It was never easy for Jesus and His disciples. 

I was particularly struck by the terrible injustice of John’s death. Here’s a righteous man who was serving the Lord well, and he was arrested for speaking truth to power, and then executed on the whim of a vengeful queen and her spineless husband. I thought, “God, is this how You protect and repay Your servants?” God never promised that it would be easy. 

This isn’t heaven.

 

Application

Life is hard—even for Jesus followers. Jesus promised us life to the full (John 10:10). But that doesn’t mean that it’s easy, or that everything will go as we wish. We will see God come through in many ways. And we will see things like they saw in this chapter: rejection by family and friends and neighbors, the injustice of the righteous being mistreated, our plans being interrupted, and even the weather working against us! It’s life. And sometimes…it’s hard.

This isn’t heaven.

I just got the news that one of my best friends from high school was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has months to live. Heart-breaking. And…it’s life. I’m glad he knows the Lord and is ready. 

So today, when faced with hardship and suffering and injustice, rather than freaking out and railing against God, know that Jesus faced the same things, and His followers too. It’s life in a broken world. Trust God anyway. 

This isn’t heaven.

Prayer: Lord, I love You. Sometimes I don’t understand why bad things happen to good people, but I’m going to trust You anyway. I won’t be shocked or surprised when that happens—instead, I’ll keep trusting and following. 

More: Jeremiah 31-32, Proverbs 19, Revelation 19