Partnership with Jesus

 

By Stephen Terry

 

 

Sabbath School Lesson Commentary for March 19 -25, 2011

 

 

 

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12, NIV

 

It is tempting to go it alone in life, to "play the cowboy" who rides in on a big white horse and rescues everyone else. That can be especially true if others have not lived up to our expectations. But that approach leads us only to disappointment when our efforts are misunderstood or unappreciated.  It can be a lonely path. Every episode of "The Lone Ranger" ends the same way. No matter how effective he has been, he rides off alone into the sunset. This is not God's plan. God said "It is not good for the man to be alone." (See Genesis 2:18) He intended from the very beginning that man should not have to go it alone.  We were created to be social beings, and only in partnership with others can we find fulfillment.

 

But if we are used to going our own way and "doing our own thing," how do we learn to be a part of the community? And aren't we just setting ourselves up to be hurt by others?  Perhaps, but the positives are greater than the negatives. There are so many things in life that are hard, if not impossible, to do on our own. The cars we drive, the houses we live in, the phones we talk on are only a few examples of the results of collaborative efforts. Could you imagine how long it would take to build a car if only one person were allowed to work on it?  Clearly we can get farther in life in partnership with others.

 

The first step in partnering with others is to form a partnership with the person who cares about us the most.  That person is Jesus Christ.  He is not only a great partner.  He will teach us the principles that will help us to be an active part of a mutually beneficial community.  We will learn to give and receive as part of His spiritual family.  That family is not just a "pie in the sky" someday in heaven family, but is a real, here and now, group of caring, committed individuals ready to help us to become all we can be. Just like our biological family, they are not perfect, but they are willing to grow along with us.

 

The imperfection of this family is really just what we need. What better place to practice the art of forgiveness than in the safe frame of family.  When we make a mistake, it feels great when those we have hurt forgive us.  It feels great for them also, when we forgive the hurt they may have caused us.  When we hurt someone, we have feelings that are like burdens on our hearts. When we are with them may feel shame for doing something wrong.  We may also feel guilt even when we are alone for what we have done. We may feel fear that we cannot trust them, afraid that they may repay us for what we have done.  What a joy it is when we find forgiveness and those burdens can be lifted. What happiness we can give to others when we are the ones doing the forgiving.

 

The alternative is to walk around carrying a grudge. But this is dangerous to our spiritual well being. Jesus said, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15, NIV This is so we will be fit to be citizens of heaven.  After all, do we think that the angels walk around in heaven holding grudges against each other? That would not be a heaven we would want to live in, so we need to learn how to live now to prepare for heaven later. We need to learn to forgive now, so we can live in heaven later.  Heaven is all about forgiveness, or we would never be allowed in. The Bible says we all need forgiveness. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23, NIV

 

When we form a partnership with Jesus, and we become a part of God's family we have opportunities to learn other skills that are important in heaven along with forgiveness. We can learn how to give one another hope.  Since the entrance of sin, there is a lot in this world that is not right.  We see these things and they hurt our hearts. At times, the pain can be overwhelming and bring us to discouragement and despair.  When that happens, we need the hope that our brothers and sisters in Jesus can share.  In return, we can share hope with them, and together we can see despair give way to joy as that hope lifts our hearts toward Jesus.

 

We may also learn and teach patience. Most certainly, Moses had to be a patient man to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. Many times they challenged him directly and indirectly. Some feel that he learned patience while tending sheep for forty years in Midian. Surely there must be some similarities between handling recalcitrant sheep and dealing with difficult people. Patience involves more than simply putting up with someone's foibles. It also means waiting to know the whole story before rushing to judgment. Not only is that a heavenly attribute. It is also much in demand in our families here and now, both biological and spiritual.

 

Sometimes, in spite of forgiveness and patience, we still don't seem to get anywhere with a relationship. When this happens, God is able to teach us about the most powerful weapon we can use: prayer.  We can learn to go to God in prayer and then place the problem in His hands. This gives us the comfort of knowing we have placed the matter in reliable hands, for there is no greater resource than God's love. God never intended for us to carry burdens we could not handle. In fact He fully expects us to place those burdens on Him.  With our families we can learn to stop trying to be the solution to every problem and to trust that when we give the problem to God, He is faithful to resolve it.

 

That's the kind of Partner we all need. He is willing to be the partner for all our relationships.  As we navigate the sea of interactions between biological relatives and spiritual ones, He will teach us how to avoid the hidden reefs and treacherous currents.  He will teach us how to fill our sails with fair winds, and guide us as we work together as a crew with common purpose, to reach our goal: heaven.  I want to be there. Don't you?

 

 

 

 

 

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