Sooner or later it will happen to us all… God’s word will say something we don’t understand… Or the Lord will require something of us that offends our sensibilities… Or something will happen to us – something God allows – that we will have a terrible time processing! And the issue will be, how are we going to respond – what are we going to do about it? Will we continue to trust, follow, and love the Lord, or will we be offended, “abandon ship,” and drift away in disappointment, disillusionment…even anger?
It happened to some who had begun following Jesus in the New Testament – the fact is, some of the “apostles” were even at risk!
Jesus had said some perplexing things – some things that challenged the sensibilities of His followers – some things they found it difficult to process… Here’s the account of it in the Bible:
“When many of His disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in Himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life! But there are some of you who do not believe… This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God!’”(John 6:60–69 ESV)
Listen, I am certain that somewhere, sometime, something will happen, something will come my way in my walk with the Lord that I don’t understand, something I find difficult to process, something that even offends me. What will I do in that situation and circumstance? Will I allow what happens to become an insurmountable barrier to my trust in the Lord? Will I in disillusionment draw back, distance myself from the Lord and cease to follow Him in faith and love? Oh, I pray I won’t! Instead, may my response echo and mirror that of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall I go! You are the One who has the words that lead to eternal life! I have believed, and have come to know [regardless of what life brings – or what God may allow] that you are the Holy One of God!”
Coffee With The Lord 