Tag Archives: There is a path that leads to love-joy-peace-patience. Get on it.

Crucified with Christ Day T-2

Yesterday we wrote that wanting to bear the mark of Jesus’ love, joy and peace requires inviting Him to live IN us as Lord and Master. It is more an act of believing that what He said is true and living accordingly. This is how we, ever so imperfectly, try to live out this walk with cancer. People remark about our positive attitude or strong spirit. We remind them it is our great God, our Lord Jesus who does this work everyday. It is not within our own power.

But belief always drives action and so there are things we do to bear the mark of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Jesus spoke to His closest disciples in Matthew 16:24-26, instructs his closest followers saying, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

In this sense, there is something that we must do. In the progressive unfolding of our lives we must bring our thoughts, speech, and actions in alignment with Christ. Denying self means we put God and others first. This theme is spoken consistently throughout the bible and most notably when Jesus summarizes the two great commandments, “Love God…love others as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-40) Denying self demands that our self interests are ALL servant to our love of God and others. Picking up our cross entails, amongst other things, keeping our focus daily on Jesus and carrying the burdens that He has for our holiness, and His love for others. This should provide great motivation to transform what we think, say, and do and even our personal ambitions and goals, to make these obedient to Him. And finally, following Jesus means staying in the path,and when you wander, confessing it and getting back on the path right away. You will be told there are many paths. The entertaining movie The Life of Pi seems to propose this message. But Jesus says there is only one path that leads to heaven. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Peace and patience are God’s gifts to us when we surrender our control to Him. Know Jesus….know love, joy, peace, patience, and so much more. I appreciate prayers for my donor as they collect his stem cells today, that he will be well, that they will be able to harvest a sufficient number of cells, and send them by courier to Iowa City for my use on Thursday. May his joy be full in making this sacrificial gift.