| Last Wednesday was one of those Men of the Path sessions where you just had to be there to fully appreciate what went on. Perhaps I should have written this last Friday, because Francisco taught on pain and suffering. What better day to reflect on pain and suffering than Good Friday, right? If you have not gotten to know Francisco I encourage you to do so. If you attend Wednesday mornings and have had the opportunity to sit at Francisco’s table you know why I said that. He is a man of few words. Generally, Francisco does not speak until the end; but when he does, everyone at the table is in awe. God’s words just flow through him. We are blessed to have such a man of God in our church community. Please ask Francisco to share some of his story with you.
Francisco gave us three Scripture verses and three questions. The Scriptures were: Take a moment and read each one. My favorite of those is Hebrews 5:7-8, “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Incredible, isn’t it? Even though God heard Jesus’ prayers and knew the deep reverence He had for God, God allowed Jesus to suffer. Why? Because Jesus, in the form of a man, learned obedience from His suffering. Knowing this helps in meditating on the questions Francisco had for us. After all, we seem to be more willing to be obedient, and more willing to give God the steering wheel to our lives when pain and suffering come. The questions Francisco had for us are the kind that I cannot answer for you; they are ones that you should answer and record in your journal. The questions were: Have you experienced pain and suffering without the help of the Lord? For those of you that heard my testimony, you know what happened when I told God, “That’s okay, I want to control my own life; just stay out of it and let me be. I know what is best for me.” I have asked on occasion that you write me with some of your answers and comments. I am not going to do that today. I am going to ask that you go to Drew’s website, www.uberlumen.comand send Drew what God is saying to you about pain and suffering; how He is helping you through today’s problems. Drew would welcome your comments. Have a great week; remember, no meeting at the clubhouse this week. We are supporting Bruce and the rest of the men who put together the All Pro Dads program at Hicks Canyon Elementary by meeting there at 6:30 a.m and putting Servant Leadership into effect. I hope God has it on your heart to come help. Who knows, you may even get to eat a few pancakes. |
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One thought on “Men’s Group: April 8, 2009 Suffering”
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The pain I now suffer is the most precious gift I have ever been given. The pain of my past, my own making, given to me like a movie played in front of me is more precious than gold or silver. Why? Because I am not alone in my pain; I get to put it on God’s shoulder and He will bear it with me; becuase it was a wake up call before it is too late; because it means in some small way a get to share in Christ’s suffering; because I get to have it now; insteasd of later; instead of forever. I love my pain: it reminds me of what side of the great devide I will be on, and it is not the lake of fire. I love my pain because it means I am free, He delivered me!