May 12 | Mark 8:34-38

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DAILY READING

Mark 8:34-38 (ESV)

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REFLECTION

The Joy of the Cross

By Dave Mann

This passage is one of the most heart-gripping sayings that Jesus ever uttered.  Imagine if you were present in the crowd that Jesus assembled to hear these words.  How many people who had wanted to follow Jesus were stunned by such challenging words?  How many looked at each other and then drifted away, throwing in the towel on the possibility of being a follower of Jesus? 

Or, for that matter, think about Jesus addressing a crowd in the present day, where we are indeed present.  How many of us want Jesus to change what he says?  We might think, “Come on, Jesus.  You have to walk back what you just said.  If you double down on what you just said, your poll numbers will plunge!”

Whenever I read a biblical passage like this one and find myself squirming, I turn to Gene Peterson’s paraphrase, The Message, hoping to find some alternative way of looking at the matter.  I usually find a more modern wording expressing the same idea, and I discover that the challenge is even greater.

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?  If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

Jesus is not calling us to do anything different from what he does.  He is just being transparent about what it means to be his disciple.  If we follow Jesus, we will find ourselves on the road of radical self-sacrifice.  The cross was before Jesus.  That means that self-sacrifice and the cross is on our road as well. 

On the positive side, the cruciform lifestyle will eventually lead us in the joy of being with Jesus forever.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, even though Jesus spoke challenging words, thank you for his transparency.  Thank you for the joy of being with Jesus – in baptism, in his suffering, in his death, and in his resurrection.  Amen.

Find additional "Dying to Live" study materials designed for small groups or individual use here.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.

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May 11 | Colossians 3:1-14

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DAILY READING

Colossians 3:1-14

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REFLECTION

How to Shed Dragon Skin

By Elaine Pierce

Actions have consequences, and the Apostle Paul makes it clear in this passage that Christians are to put off their sinful nature and live a life centered on Jesus and his love, compassion, and forgiveness. Paul knows (from firsthand experience) how hard it is to throw out those pre-Christian habits: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language (see verses 5 and 8).

But what do we replace them with? Verses 12-14 make it clear:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.....Forgive as the Lord forgave you....And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Of course I would rather be compassionate than angry....kind instead of greedy....gentle instead of filled with rage....but so often I fall short. I cling to old habits, afraid to completely turn my life over to God. I am sure most of you have read C. S. Lewis' Chronicle of Narnia series. In "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," we read about how Eustace, who was an arrogant, self-centered, and annoying brother to Edmund, Lucy and Susan, becomes a fiercesome dragon. Lewis writes, "Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself. "Of course, after awhile he desperately wants to be a boy again, but he cannot free himself from his dragon skin. He finally realizes that only Aslan can release him:

You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.

“The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know - if you've ever picked the scab off a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.”

We cannot free ourselves from our sin and shame. The only way is through the Cross. Thanks be to God that he sends his Holy Spirit to intercede for us. And thanks for the body of Christ. We are not in this battle alone. Paul reminds us that we are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Run to the Father - he is ready to receive you.

PRAYER

Lord, I want to throw off my old sinful skin, and yet I return again and again to old ways. Help me each day to come to you in confession, and to receive grace and forgiveness. Amen.

Find additional "Dying to Live" study materials designed for small groups or individual use here.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELAINE PIERCE

It is a delight and joy to write Sunday's UALC Blog post. I have been a UALC member for 20+ years and I value our community of believers. I draw strength from God's Word, and it is my hope that you join me in seeking to grow closer to Him as we read, study, and pray together. I've been married to Gene for 47 years, and we have four grown children and nine grandchildren. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I count it all joy to serve him, even in the midst of challenges. To God be the glory, for the great things he is doing!

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May 10 | 1 Peter 3:8-9, 18, 4:1-2

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DAILY READING

1 Peter 3:8-9, 18, 4:1-2

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REFLECTION

Humility Though Suffering

by Carmel Elmer

When I received my assigned passage, I opened my bible to find these words highlighted:

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love one another like brothers, be compassionate and humble”

Sometimes when I highlight or underline a passage, I write the date next to it.  There was no date next to this passage, but I can say with certainty that I know what was happening in my life at the time when these words of truth jumped off the page at me.

Twenty-five years ago, as a new couple, my husband and I found our way to UALC.  Our children came along, they were baptized into the church and we made sure they attended Kid’s Church (Sunday school at the time). We became a part of this community, prayed together at home as a family, and were living a ‘perfect little life’ together.  I’m ashamed to say this but I thought we had it all together.  I guess you could say I was proud of the life that we had built, but I know now how dangerous pride can be and how life can bring you back down to earth and humble you in ways you could never imagine but maybe need.

My marriage and family gave me a sense of pride and purpose, and while that’s not all bad, I do realize somewhere along the way I came to believe it was all up to me to paint a picture of a perfect family that made me feel secure, protected and whole.  Boy, was I blindsided a few years ago when it all began to fall apart and the husband I loved, relied upon, and trusted with my life no longer wanted to be a part of it.  And while I know with certainty that God did not want my marriage to end, I do see that He has been using this circumstance to humble and mold me.

I was living my life for the comforts of this world, and I truly didn’t understand what it meant to live in The Spirit.  I’m still not there but I am learning.  I am learning to stop, take a breath, and ask for guidance before I proudly pass judgement and I am becoming more compassionate.  I am learning the importance of doing what is right even if in the end, it causes me pain because that pain is training me to be more like Christ.  I am learning to pray for those who hurt me because that is what brotherly love is all about. I am learning that times of suffering are the greatest opportunity for growth.

Inevitably, in this broken world we will all experience some form of suffering.  My prayer for each of us is that through our suffering, we will become more like Christ.  I suppose that’s what Dying to Live really means for every one of us.  I know that’s what it has meant in my life and, while I am not yet there, I do know that God is teaching me what it means to live in The Spirit. I am grateful that He hasn't given up on me and He never will.

PRAYER

We reflect You to the world, Lord. Help us to reflect You more clearly.

We try to forgive, Lord.  Help us to forgive the way You do.

We are humble, Lord.  Give us more humility. 

Use our suffering to make us more like You.

Find additional "Dying to Live" study materials designed for small groups or individual use here.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CARMEL ELMER

I have attended UALC for nearly 25 years, but faith has always been at the center of my life. My mom was an incredible role model, demonstrating a trust in God that surpassed any circumstance. I will always be grateful for her incredible example of faith, and I pray that one day, my children will say the same about me.   

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