Fire on earth

Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to the people, "I've come to start a fire on this earth, how I wish it were blazing right now! 50 I've come to change everything, turn everything right-side up; how I long for it to be finished! 51 Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront! 52 From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be three against two, and two against three; 53 Father against son, and son against father; Mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; Mother- in- law against bride, and bride against mother- in- law."

Food for Thought

Jesus knew all about his life; he knew what would happen, when it would happen, how it would happen, and why it would happen. "I have," he said, "a terrible experience through which I must pass; and life is full of tension until I pass through it and emerge triumphantly from it." The cross was ever before his eyes; his passion and death was always before his eyes. Jesus well knew that without his pains there would be no gains. We do well to know this eternal principle, too.

We too, have to go thru hardships before getting the results we need; things normally get worse before they get getter. If your life if going to get better, you'll have to go through hardships. There's simply no way to the top that does not include climbing. BTW: This is why you hear of austerity packages and measures in USA, Europe, etc.

That's why we don't concentrate on hardships, but on the good results. Remember this, obstacles are what we see whenever we take our eyes off the goal. If you're afraid of hardships and terrible experiences, you'll never accomplish great things.  You can improve your life, if you too drink the cup of hardships like Jesus.

One of the terrible experience to go through will inevitably be your dear people, some of whom may object to your aspirations. You will have to decide whether you love more your dear people or your dear dreams; whether you love more comfort or hardships, whether you follow Christ through a Good Friday or follow Judas Iscariot who wanted easy money without a struggle; he eventually killed himself.

Following Christ's (hard) way is a choice we have to make. This choice many times implies division, estrangement and opposition, sometimes even from our dearest. He says, Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront! We must ready ourselves for rough ride.

Loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest loyalties of this earth. We must be prepared to count all things but loss for the excellence of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:7-9a

But the things that were gain to me, the same I have counted loss for Christ.  8 Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, first hand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ 9 and be embraced by him.