Tomorrow (Friday) we'll be reading on in Luke chapter 9. In verses 44-45 we see Jesus telling the disciples once again that He is going to be killed. But the disciples don't understand what Jesus is telling them, and verse 45 says "they were afraid to ask him about this." That seemed a little odd to me (that the disciples would be afraid to ask Jesus something) so I asked myself why this response? Was it because Jesus had just commented about the faithless and twisted generation and having to bear with them? Or was it more about them feeling stupid asking Jesus something when he just stated it? Or was it because no one wanted to let on to the other disciples that he didn't get what Jesus just said?
Have you ever been afraid to approach or ask Jesus something? I know I have. I can think of times when I was fearful about opening my Bible because I thought what I'd read would be too convicting or I was worried because it might bring up something I'd done from my past that I wanted to forget. You see, I missed that maybe that's exactly what I needed--not to mention the fact that we never have to be afraid of approaching Jesus. What's so awesome about Jesus is He's always there waiting for us--no matter what. So if you're in one of those times when you're hesitant, unsure or even a little afraid to really dig into your Bible or have some intimate one-on-one with God, be encouraged because God knows right where you're at and He's ready to meet you--right now. Have a great weekend! Tami W.
This scripture spoke to me today. I am in a church that is really struggling right now. We had a leadership change two years ago, and many people feel the pastor is not a good leader. He has a very strong personality, very different from the humble pastor we had before him. As he attempts to move us to work within a model of a large church (which we've been for about ten years now!), many see this as an assault on our call to be servants of God. I fear both the pastor and the congregation has lost sight of surrendering our need to be more than we are, seeing ourselves as a child in our understanding of what God wants for us. I ask for prayers as we try to move forward in faith.
Tami,
In response to your question regarding Jesus' passion/criticism in verse 41(and I'd like to add maybe, "frustration"):
The scene could almost be comical...Jesus thinking, "Good night! Do I have to do it ALL? I teach them and teach them and they are still so dense!"
It's easy for us to see how blind the disciples were to what was right before them, because we have it all laid out in print what God wants us to see now. BUT I KNOW that there have been times that He's shown me a truth so plainly but I only understood it in retrospect...what heartache I could have avoided if I had only listened to the Holy Spirit when He spoke! Oh, ME of little faith!
It's faith...He wants our faith...It's trust...He wants our trust...It's obedience...He wants that too. And He is worthy of all.
Lisa, we will most certainly pray for the situation at your church. Thanks for sharing with us. Tami