Partnership with Jesus
By Stephen Terry
"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
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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