The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Pleas, From Pains"
While hanging in pain, sorrow, and forsakenness upon His cross, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed for others.
"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
The Spirit of the same Christ now lives in born again believers. "God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6). Thus, we can expect He will work in us to view our challenges as opportunities to seek His grace for others.
"For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you" (II Corinthians 4:11-12).
One way Christ's life flows through our pains, of whatever mode or measure, involves seeing them as a basis to pray for others. Somebody, somewhere hurts like we do, or may experience some completely different challenge. Whatever the case, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus offers us opportunity to escape sinking into our own difficulties by coming forth to the throne of grace for others. When we intercede while personally challenged for someone whose difficulties we know, or for somebody, somewhere whose hurts we do not know, we can only imagine how our Heavenly Father must respond to our pleas, offered from our pains.
"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" (Philippians 2:4).
Somebody, somewhere just now faces the challenge we face. Or, they experience a completely different difficulty. Whatever the case, the indwelling love of Christ moves us outward and away from focus on ourselves unto the needs of others. "Charity (love) seeketh not her own" (I Corinthians 13:5). Such a glory of altruism shone brightly in the Savior, who "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). It will shine brightly in us as the Lord Jesus walks in us, motivating and empowering our devotion to others by His devotion to others. "The love of Christ is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5).
Perhaps in eternity, some brother or sister will greet us along a heavenly path of gold with a grateful look on their face. "Do you recall that prayer you prayed for me in August of 2024 during our previous life?" Perhaps we won't remember the intercession we offered. "Well," our fellow believer will inform us, "I was that "somebody, somewhere" for whom you prayed during that time of your own pain. The Lord answered your prayer, saved me from despair, and delivered me from my trial." In that holy moment, we will doubtless fall together before the Lamb to worship One whose bears such a heart of devotion to God and others that He transformed His cross - and now, our crosses - into altars of intercession for others. Yes, He leads us to see our crosses of pains as altars of pleas, of prayers for others.
"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends."
(Job 42:10)
Weekly Memory Verse
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(Psalm 23:6)
7239
No comments:
Post a Comment