December 16, 2024 -- Mark 6:30-34 -- Facing triggering troubles and refining fires

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:30-34 ESV
 
What triggers you? Say life is going on as usual and a few things happen all at once and you get furious. Or you get overwhelmed, and you justify a quick return to sin. You shop to make yourself feel good (with money you don’t have); or you gamble for the thrill of it and crash afterwards. You know your pattern of self-soothing wrong doing. Why mention this?
 
I urge you to ponder Jesus and His life. Remember He is truly human and truly divine. He walked this earth as a man and never once sinned in thought, word, or deed. Now consider this triggering time. If you have a couple of minutes, read Mark 6:14-44. Jesus had sent out His apostles two by two to prepare the way for His arrival at various towns. His dear cousin John, having been imprisoned, was killed by Herod, and the news just reached him. As the news reached Him, His disciples returned, filled with stories they wanted to share. No doubt He was ready to grieve. The passage noted Jesus was ready to go to a desolate place. That is shorthand for a place away and a place for intimate prayer before His Father in heaven. He didn't have time to eat. Meanwhile, the crowds ran towards Jesus to be taught, healed, and to see the spectacle that Jesus is. Then these crowds, staying long, were hungry and needed to be fed. The disciples were unsure what to do. They pressed Jesus to find a solution. The point in all of this? Jesus could have been triggered. At this time, humanly speaking exhausted, overwhelmed, tired, grieving, perhaps tempted to be frustrated with His disciples’ lack of faith and annoyed by the helplessness of the crowds demanding so much of Him.
 
Jesus though completely, fully human, that is, as human as you are and I am, never sinned. All His grief, all potential frustration, all temptation to an angry outburst, all exasperation with the hapless disciples knocking about and any other emotions, which if left unchecked would be a highway to sinful action, all of these He willingly rejected that He would, as the passage notes, have compassion on the people and serve them.
 
Step 7 requires the Christian to pray (daily, or as many times a day as is needed!) “I humbly ask God to place healthy character qualities in me” (Overcomers Workbook, page 124). The same Spirit given to Jesus in His humanity is the Spirit Who by command of the Father and the Son fills you. Life in Christ is possible because His Spirit is the connecting lifeline Who makes living for Jesus possible. Your triggers and flashpoints, your daily potential frustrations and unexpectedly overwhelming situations are all be used as teaching moments where the Spirit of God shows You the pathway of obedience to Jesus, so that the fruit of righteousness is exhibited to the people around you, who then will see: Jesus is real. They’ll be questioning: “How can you go through all you’re going through and still be sane?”
 
Answer: It is the fullness of life that is mine in Christ. It is the Spirit of God Who is using every circumstance of my life, good and bad, hard and sad, to produce in me the purity of faith that is like pure gold having been made pure by the refining process of trials. The goal of God is not your comfort. God’s purpose is to make you holy, as He is holy. Such holiness enables the follower of Jesus to bring honour to God in every circumstance of life and has the added benefit of bringing the believer to the place of joy knowing that whatever trial you are going through is being used by God the Father to perfect you.
 
Father in heaven, I confess how much and how greatly I fear refining trials. I just want to pull away when circumstances are too hard, go somewhere and nurse my wounds. Or worse, do whatever I think will make me feel better, but will be worse for me than ever. I need You. Please keep me from sliding back into old ways and wicked patterns. Father of all mercies, place the fruit of the Spirit in me so that I can patiently endure all that is happening with the complete, unshakeable confidence that I am being refined like gold, made pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/qyUPz6_TciY?si=FrJ2WewT2qu3Iwao “Though You Slay Me” Shane and Shane
 

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