In John 10:17-18 Jesus is speaking of the most important choice that He will make in His life. He is talking about the choice that He has actually already made to die on the cross of Calvary for the benefit of all mankind. He says, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” Jesus has made this decision well in advance of the actual event. He has thought ahead of the actual moment. He knows the Father’s will. He has counted the cost and He is committed to the task for the joy of what He sees coming from His sacrifice. While Jesus was fully God, He was also fully man; and therefore, He had the choice as a man to say no to Calvary. We know from Matthew 26:39, that the man, Jesus, did not look forward to the ordeal that was set before Him. In fact, the night of His arrest, we see Him praying that the ordeal that He was about to experience be taken from Him. If there could be another way to accomplish the same task, He would prefer it. In the end, however, we see Him lay all selfish desire aside and take up His cross. We see Him choose the Father’s will and the good of the multitude over His own. Yesterday, I couldn’t help but think about this beautiful example of selfless love as we celebrated the independence of our great nation. Our founding fathers, almost to the man, committed their lives and their fortunes to establishing a nation that would allow free men and women to pursue a productive life in peace and happiness. It was the very selfless choice that each of these men made that forged the Constitution, manned the rifles, primed the cannon and circulated the news of a free press. It was the selfless choice that each of these women made that kept the fields plowed and planted, the industries running and the injured treated with care. They had counted the cost in advance with full understanding that their lives and their fortunes would never be the same. In spite of that realization, they were committed to the future - that which would come forth from the weariness and pain of the sacrifice. There was, however, one very noticeable exception - that of Benedict Arnold. Like so many of us do in the battle of life, Arnold began the struggle with a patriots zeal dedicating his life and fortune to the cause for freedom and independence. But as the battle was prolonged and the British seemed to be holding the upper hand, Arnold sought to regain his wealth that had been eaten away in the patriot cause and establish himself in a position of power with the British. With one rash choice Arnold betrayed the life of a friend and betrayed the colonial cause. He lost sight of the ultimate goal when he began to operate in a self preservation mode. He looked to the circumstances and not to the Lord. He considered his creature comforts alone while having no consideration for the future and what comforts a free and independent people could achieve collectively. And in the end, the justice of God prevailed. All of Arnold’s rash efforts were in vain. “Lord help me live from day to day in such a self forgetful way that even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for others.” Unknown
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 22:49:54 +0000
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