So, do you agree with Oswald today? (Clausing you won't like it, don't read it). Is he right? Would that explain a lot . . . ?
The "Go" of Renunciation
. . . someone said to Him, ’Lord, I will follow You wherever You go’ —Luke 9:57
Our Lord’s attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragement, “for He knew what was in man” (John 2:25). We would have said, “I can’t imagine why He lost the opportunity of winning that man! Imagine being so cold to him and turning him away so discouraged!” Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. Our Lord’s answers were not based on some whim or impulsive thought, but on the knowledge of “what was in man.” If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of its death.
2 comments:
It is hard to think of loving someone so much that you are willing to hurt them for their own good.... The closest thing that I can think of is the way that we love our kids. I heard a guy on the radio give a tribute to his father the other day and he said "thank you Dad for every spanking you ever gave me".... Wow!... I know that I want to be all the man that God wants me to be but are we ready to let God hurt us for our own good? It's not like he needs our permission....
Excellent comparison, Steve, thanks!!!
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