In Forrest Gump there is a pivotal scene in Vietnam where Forrest stares into the eyes of a dead Bubba and is faced with a decision. In the midst of his personal sadness and pain he is forced to give up or go on. And in typical Hollywood fashion Forrest turns back and rescues Lt. Dan.
But what about the pain and the resolution. Faced with pressure and pain on every front what do you do? In the moments that arent fun or easy what do you do? Do you stop and recognize that God is in it? Its in these moments that we find it so much easier to not recognize God at all.
Truth is theres always a price to be paid when something is gained. Sometimes the cost is time, sometimes money, sometimes pride, and in this life it is often pain…but theres always a cost. More and more I am aware of Jesus’ words in Luke 14. “Whoever does not acarry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ “
‘Counting the cost’ has become a Christian phrase, but rarely something we take to heart. And to be honest its always easier to read these words when life is good and easy. The real test is taking this to heart when life isnt good or easy. Is Life tough? Are you Challenged on every front? Whats Jesus want from us?? Truth is sometimes God -given opportunities dont look like opportunity at all, often they look like “man eating lions” (Mark Batterson) that bear the mark of destruction rather than hope.
Forrest was faced with a decision, to protect himself or to take a risk in the midst of pain and uncertainty. In these moments its hard to remember that ‘Taking no risk is the greatest risk of all.” (Mark Batterson) Choosing God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit every day isnt always fun or easy, but it is always life giving.
Tonight I want to wrestle with the hard stuff…Its easy to say yes I wanna take up my cross, I want Jesus, I want Him to take my pain, anger, hurt, and failure and give me a 2nd chance…but its time to stop and ask ‘Whats the Cost? What does Jesus want in return?’ Salvation is a gift no question. But with everything gained…there is a cost. And the same goes for pursuing Jesus in the hard times…how do we do that when lifes hard and we are challenged on every front?
“How we react when we encounter lions (pain, suffering, challenges) will dertermine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest Challenges. Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunity.” (Mark Batterson) Even when its hard, really hard…that just may be the core of Passionate Christianity.
More tonight
live//PC
