Push On

I ran across this little story in my morning reading: A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; “Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

Isn’t that story, or a close version of it, so true with most of us? We’re all for living the ‘good life’ of a Christian but there are times once in a while, that we would really appreciate it if the other person would ‘be Jesus’ so we could get what we want or act how we felt. I’ve heard Christians say - and I’ve said it myself on occasion - “Why do I always have to be the bigger person?” Or “I’m tired of being the bigger person.”  Come on, you know it’s crossed your mind and lips, too.

I wonder if the ‘man’ part of Jesus got tired of ‘being Jesus’. Fortunately for us, he had the ‘God’ part of Him that carried through if His ‘man’ grew weak and weary. I do not know that was the case but Scripture said He knew every temptation known to man, grew tired and hungry. But He kept on ‘being Jesus’ through it all.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There are times in our lives when we feel like we just can’t continue in the race; times when we are really tired of being the bigger person, tired of being the walking example, the Jesus people see. These are precisely the times when the enemy loves to assault us to the point of breaking and torment us saying “You’ll never make it to the finish line, you may as well just quit now”. This is the time we need to cling on to God’s promises! The Lord will soon reward our diligence for all our toiling here in this world. Paul said, “Let us not grow weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint”.