Today’s scripture: Romans 6:5-11 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
The near universal response to the crucifixion scenes from movies such as Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth or Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is: “How he must have loved me to suffer so much!” And most certainly, the love of God for humanity is supremely witnessed in the agony and death of God’s only begotten on Good Friday. But then, like we generally deal with death in our culture, we move as quickly as we possibly can to the resurrection of Easter Sunday.
Romans 6:5 reads: “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like us.” And just a couple of chapters later, Paul writes: “…and if children [of God], then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we might be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17). Seems to me that’s an awful lot of “ifs” (my emphases).
I remind the families of dying patients that all of us face losses or “little deaths” every day. How we deal with those “little deaths” determines the “reward” we receive. Attempting to avoid or resist them can result in continued pain and suffering; and it’s sheer illusion to believe we have the power to dispel all the pain and suffering in our lives. However, I’ve seen that, contrary to popular opinion, accepting and embracing the “little deaths,” as we trust God, can result in great spiritual growth and a powerful sense of well-being, peace, and contentment. I am convinced that what we understand as pain and suffering can be part of God’s plan in our transformation to become more like Christ.
Maybe a paradigm shift would help. Since Christ’s pain and suffering on the cross is universally recognized as a sign of God’s great love for us, why can’t our faithful, trusting response to the pain and suffering in our lives be recognized as a sign of our great love for God? We may just find a beautiful transformation, a resurrection on the other side, being brought through the pain and suffering.
Thought for the day: God, today I thank you for your great self-giving love for me. I want to love you in the same way. Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.