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Monday-Preparation

 

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

 

1 Peter 4:1,2[1]

 

I’m all about preparation. No matter what it is, I prepare for it. I get everything ready beforehand so I don’t have to worry about it. But after I do all the planning and work to get ready for something, I still worry a little bit. OK, so I worry a lot.

 

Just the other day, Mary Ann and I were invited to a celebration dinner about 90 minutes away. How much preparation could be involved? Remember, it’s me, so hold onto your hats because when I prepare, I really prepare.

 

First, I loaded the address into my phone and created an appointment in my phone calendar. This way it would remind me when we needed to leave and then I could create up to date driving directions with a single click. Next, I put the tickets in a place where I couldn’t miss them. To look my best, I showered, shaved and pulled out a nice outfit.

 

Now I’m done. Right? Wrong. Looking at the distance we were going to drive, I plugged my car in and told the software to give the batteries a full charge. And since it’s only been five weeks since my knee replacement surgery, I took some pain pills to hold me over. The last piece of planning was to put some dental floss in my pocket in case something from dinner got stuck in my teeth.

 

Preparation is also a big part of walking with Jesus. Peter tells us to be prepared by arming ourselves. This isn’t putting on armor and sharpening our sword for battle. Instead, this preparation is to put on the same attitude that Jesus had towards suffering. Jesus knew that he was going to suffer. He even told his disciples many times that he was going to handed over to the religious rulers and that he was going to suffer[2].

 

The prophecies about Jesus clearly showed that he was going to suffer. He was going to be “a man of suffering and familiar with pain[3]. And “it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer[4]

 

So, what was Jesus’ attitude towards suffering? As strange as this might sound, he knew it was coming and didn’t fight it. He didn’t walk or run away from it. As a matter of fact, he walked towards it. He knew exactly what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem and he still entered the city. Over that week, he preached in the temple. Not once did he run away.

 

Jesus suffered and so will we. I’m not sorry to say it because it’s the truth. It might not be what we want to hear, but it’s the truth. And if you really want to be done with sin, suffering is the main ingredient.

 

To be done with sin means that we came to a fork in the road. There was a decision point where we were either going to stay right where we were or to go someplace else. We were either going to continue down the path we’d been walking for so long or we were going to turn and take another road.

 

Yes, this attitude of being done with sin comes with a cost. And that cost isn’t like what you pay to get into Walt Disney World. Walk in with your pass and experience all the great things and people for the entire day. But when that day ends, you walk out and you’re right back where you came in.

 

We want sin to be done away with, but there’s a cost. It’s the cost that no one wants to pay. The price no one wants to experience. Only the pain of suffering can bring us to the point of turning from sin once and for all. And once we took that turn, there’s no going back. It was done once and for all. The old has died. It’s done.

 

At the end of the Lord of the Rings movies, the evil Sauron is destroyed. Mount Doom has erupted and all traces of evil are gone. Frodo and Sam escaped by the skin of their teeth. They look back and say, “It’s gone. It’s done. It’s over now.[5]” The same is possible for you and me too.

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

 

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

This is no pie-in-the-sky spiritual leap off a cliff. Not on your life. When you’ve come to the point of accepting pain as part of your Christian life, you’re ready to be done with sin once and for all. If you avoid pain at every step along the way, you’ll be stuck right where you are. So, are you ready to signup for pain as a part of following Jesus? If not, that’s your choice. But you’re missing the deep and satisfying waters of a life that chooses against sin for all your days. Not perfect, but a new way of walking with Jesus.

 

Noodling Questions

 

  • List three things that you are preparing for. Why do you go to all the trouble?

  • Why are we afraid to put sin behind us? Explain.

  • How could life be different by arming ourselves like Jesus did? Describe.


[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Bible references are from the New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

[2] Mark 9:31, Matthew 26:45, and Matthew 20:18

[3] Isaiah 53:3

[4] Isaiah 53:10

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