Bearing the Cross

 

The Cross

This passage from 1 Peter 5 cannot be understood apart from bearing the cross, which is any hardship that comes from believing the Word of God. There are many afflictions that come along in the life of most people, but the cross means those difficulties which are the result of being a Christian. 

One seminary student gave as an example of the cross - "doing homework." That is an affliction for some but not the cross. 

The Christians of the Apostolic era were a definite minority, not protected by the Roman Empire. Rome honored every god but the One True God and considered Christians a branch of Judaism, those people who had to be crushed for trying to become independent in the Zealot war, about 40 years after the resurrection of Christ.

Our friend was dating an Eastern Orthodox Christian who said, "I cannot see you anymore, because you are indifferent about the unborn." That shocked him so much, as an M.D., that he reconsidered his attitude and became pro-life. When his academic boss expected him to contribute to a fund that was anti-life, our friend refused and said why. That caused all kinds of difficulties and he ended up leaving a prestigious job, but got another one because of his ability.

I mentioned the Apostolic era because we have returned to the status of the Roman Empire, a pagan culture where Christians are routinely persecuted just for standing up for their beliefs. That is not only true in denominations and synods, but also in public life. The easiest course is to pretend the articles of the Faith do not exist and anyone can choose whatever is appealing at the moment. That works for district presidents, district supervisors, bishops, and cardinals, but that is not what the Apostles learned from the Savior.

Refusing the cross is the same as disbelieving the Word of God, because Jesus Himself blessed the cross when He said, Matthew 5 KJV

"11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Faith in Christ means welcoming the cross as the best and most true sign of adhering to His Word. In time, that can be seen as a blessing, though it never feels like a blessing at the time. If it were, Jesus would not call it the cross when He said, "If you are not willing to take up the cross daily, you are not worthy to follow Me."

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KJV 1 Peter 5 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.

4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Be Balm and Spread the Content

A group of students finished their project and almost followed my directions. I use Word's tool for the table of contents, which updates the page numbers.

The paper began - Table of Content.

I liked that typo and kidded them about contentment. This morning I looked at two examples of Bee Balm. One is the area around the mailbox, where I caught the carrier cutting away the flowers around the box.

He did not realize that the Bee Balm blossoms attract several kinds of bees that care only about the pollen. They are like him, taking their predestined packages where they will be useful and appreciated.

The little stand of Bee Balms grew to several hundred around the mailbox, so I trimmed back the ones closest to the box.

The Military Gardening Group enjoys watching the bees work on the balm closer to the porch. It is peaceful and no one gets stung. I even added some red Bee Balm closer to the porch, saving rainwater just for them.

Balm is an generic word for soothing - Is there no balm in Gilead?

KJV Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?

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The other Bee Balm patch began in a weak state, but I was confident, even content. I dug up some and planted them against side of the house getting the most sun - and often the most weeds, from crabgrass to comfrey (knitbone).  I planted in the fall, knowing the roots would do their work during winter and spring.

Bee Balm has the advantage of waiting patiently to show off - just when the roses and other flowers are beaten down by too much sun and too little rain. The handful of balm from last fall grew into a patch of several hundred flowers in the Butterfly Garden for July. Now the blooms are nodding and bending from a host of bees sampling their food. 

KJV 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

I was required to visit people daily when I worked at St. Peter's in Kitchener. I got to see many retired people and enjoyed every minute. They were the living history of the congregation and the area. One Croft told me about the relative who went to America ("no good" she smiled). He changed his name to Kraft and did very well in the food business. He was the Schwan of cheese.

For sceptics and The Lutheran Librarian - "Born in Stevensville, Ontario, Canada in 1874, James L. Kraft immigrated to the United States in 1903 and started a wholesale door-to-door cheese business in Chicago; its first year of operations was "dismal", losing US$3,000 and a horse. However, the business took hold and Kraft was joined by his four brothers to form J.L. Kraft and Bros. Company in 1909. As early as 1911, circulars and advertisements were in use by the company.^[12]"

One lady did not like those people who countered her health problems with theirs, which were far worse. She said, "Your pneumonia won't cure my cold!" She had many quips like that. 

Our world is becoming crazier. I even resist my favorite independent news sources now. However, God uses the foolish, greedy, and evil to accomplish His will. Pardon the homey example, but one judo practitioner told me, "Use the opponent's strength against him and he will fly through the air, which is what that brown belt did to you."

7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

That is a Greek New Testament pun that translates well. Luther used it too - He is as anxious for us and we are for Him.

Luke 15