YOU Podcast

“I can’t wait till I’m grown” is a phrase that echoes in many young minds. We anticipate that life will be so much better on the other side of a particular age. Many of us look forward to leaving that young and seemingly restrictive life behind. However, when we do eventually grow up, we leave house chores and rules behind and replace them with new challenges that require maturity beyond anything we could have imagined.

Growing in faith is a lot like maturing in life. While young we become disillusioned that life would be easier. The grass on the other side always seems to be greener. As our faith grows we assume Christ would shield us from the struggles of life. However, no matter where we are in our faith walk, trials are part of the Christian life.

When He spoke of His return, Jesus also spoke of the hardships that we would face! Thankfully, we do not face them alone.

Jesus never glossed over the challenges we face as His children. When He spoke of His return, Jesus also spoke of the hardships that we would face! Thankfully, we do not face them alone.

One Christmas Eve a few years ago, we enjoyed a phone call from our son who was a journeyman missionary in Amsterdam.

The next morning after the family had opened their gifts, we realized one gift was missing. All I could say was, “The man said it would be ready to pick up early this evening.” Later that day, after returning from picking up the package, I invited my family to come downstairs. The gift was here. As we removed the wrapping, anticipation changed to shock then joyous surprise. We heard, “Hi, Mom!” and our eyes saw our son sitting in front of us—instead of 5,000 miles away as we had assumed. The reality—what we “knew” to be true—had been completely obliterated. Our son was not an ocean away; he was home!

Matthew closed his Gospel with the account of two women who had watched Jesus suffer and die. It had been difficult to accept this harsh reality, but that was their reality. It was in that frame of mind that they went to the tomb and experienced their own joyous surprise.

Matthew closed his Gospel with the account of two women who had watched Jesus suffer and die. It had been difficult to accept this harsh reality, but that was their reality. It was in that frame of mind that they went to the tomb and experienced their own joyous surprise.

On the evening of April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered these words at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee:

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land.April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered these words at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

No doubt Dr. King was saying that what he had gone through in the fight for the civil rights had been difficult. But he had no idea that he would be assassinated the next day, April 4, 1968.

How do we know what suffering is coming our way? We don’t. In this session, we will see that Jesus has already secured victory for us no matter what we face.

Many questions related to the Christian life don’t fall into life and death categories:• What’s your favorite version of the Bible?• If a church has a meal at the end of a service, is that called a dinner?

Questions like these have lower stakes. However, other questions about our walk with Christ carry great weight:• Am I prepared to suffer well?• Am I ready to be hated for the sake of Jesus?

Suffering may not be a common topic of conversation. However, suffering for the sake of Jesus and being persecuted because we follow Him is something He told us to expect.

Suffering may not be a common topic of conversation. However, suffering for the sake of Jesus and being persecuted because we follow Him is something He told us to expect. In John 15 and 16, the Lord warned us to prepare to suffer. Jesus wanted us to understand that living connected to Him means we will be mistreated. However, we can endure the hard times because He is with us, and He is worth it.

Some things just can’t be done without some level of experience. Imagine trying to bake a cake when you’ve never seen a cake nor tasted one, or imagine being told to quarterback a professional football game when you’ve never watched a game of football. No amount of discipline will get a cake out of your oven if you don’t have a concept of cake. No force of will is going to move your team down the field if youdon’t know what a football is.

In this session, we’ll see Jesus’ command for us to love. Most people see the value and the virtue of this command, but do we really know what love is? In his book, Rethink Your Self, Trevin Wax points out that what people often mean by love is simply the support of others for the version of themselves they have created. He suggests people tend to look for affirmation of the identity they desire, but is that real love?

Jesus wants us to taste and see His love. His love runs deep and should grow in our hearts on a daily basis.

Jesus wants us to taste and see His love. His love runs deep and should grow in our hearts on a daily basis. An understanding of His love helps us to love one another well.

Pilgrim’s Progress, written, by John Bunyan, is considered to be the most significant religious work in English literature. Its main character Christian leaves his hometown, the City of Destruction (the world), in search of the Celestial City (heaven). The purpose of this journey is to have the burden he carries on his back removed.

The experiences and encounters of Christian during his travels are typical of followers of Christ. Along the way, he is accosted by Obstinate, Pliable, Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility who tried to shift him from his path.

The work of Jesus is more powerful than our doubts.

Despite these experiences, Christian continued toward his destination. At times he became overwhelmed with fear, anxiety, and doubt, not knowing whom he could trust. Just like Christian, we experience sessions of doubt. But thankfully, the work of Jesus is more powerful than our doubts. Jesus is demonstrably for us. We can trust He is with us, bringing us to the Father, no matter what we face.

I’ve never met anyone named “Judas.” Even in an age when the limits of baby-naming creativity have been stretched, we just don’t meet any baby Judases. That’s because Judas was the most famous betrayer in the history of broken humanity. He didn’t betray just anybody; He betrayed God Himself and nudged the Rescuerof the world closer to crucifixion.

Judas may be an uncommon name, but betrayal is a common behavior. We live in culture where trust in others has been shattered by deeds of disloyalty. However, loyalty can often be purchased, and sometimes at a high price. We encounter this in nearly every area of life. We sometimes see it in ourselves. We might even see it in the people of God.

We live in culture where trust in others has been shattered by deeds of disloyalty.

In John 13, we’ll encounter the real Judas, but we’ll also see Jesus. We’ll see His glory on display even on such a heartbreaking occasion. We’ll have the opportunity to rekindle our own loyalty to Jesus as we seek to live life connected to Him.

I have read a lot of books about kings, swords, and medieval battles. I have discovered that these books of fantasy tend to highlight a fundamental flaw of humanity. In these fictional worlds, strong kings crush weak ones. The fastest blade wins.

Of course, we don’t live in a time of swords and kings, but ours is still a world in which those with strength often oppress instead of support. In the real world, many in positions of power abuse it, but the strongest person in history set a different example. Jesus walked the earth with the power of God Himself, but He didn’t crush, kill, or overwhelm. He had power the world had never seen, but He used it to serve.

Jesus walked the earth with the power of God Himself, but He didn’t crush, kill, or overwhelm. He had power the world had never seen, but He used it to serve.

That is to be our way as well. Since being connected to Christ gives us opportunity for abundance, and since being like Jesus means becoming the person God wants us to be, then we should treasure humility. The God of heaven put on flesh and served the world, and we reflect Christ powerfully when we serve with humility.

I had told my wife many times that I was an outstanding driver in snow. Growing up in northern Illinois, I had learned to handle the slick roads. Yet, as we drove one of our sons to a party, she clearly doubted my skills. The powder was sticking to the windshield, and she asked me to please slow down. I rolled my eyes—and promptly lost control of the vehicle. Moments later, we were in a ditch, spinning the tires, and having a marital moment in front of the kids. We were stuck because I wouldn’t listen.

It’s one thing to be momentarily stuck in the snow, but many people live their lives stuck. It’s not the snow that causes the problem, but the unforgiveness that surrounds them. Nothing prevents a person from moving forward like the holding of grudges.

Nothing prevents a person from moving forward like the holding of grudges..

In this final session, Joseph had seen the plan of God in the decisions of his brothers that caused so much pain in his life. Let’s take one more look at Joseph and see what he can teach us about looking at our own struggles in light of the grace of God.

As kids, we could look at certain foods and be convinced it would taste bad. And some foods can surprise us. Take, for example, an apple. Nothing tastes better than biting into a pretty red apple—and nothing tastes worse than discovering that apple is quite bitter! You don’t want someone snapping your picture at that moment because a screwed up face isn’t the best for a photo opportunity.

The face of bitterness is not attractive, yet many people wear that face today. Their bitter expressions are not because of unpleasant food, but because of painful moments in their past. We can wash away the bitter taste of bad food, but the bitterness that comes from the betrayal of others or our own bad decisions can rob us of our joy and prevent us from moving forward with God and others.

We can wash away the bitter taste of bad food, but the bitterness that comes from the betrayal of others or our own bad decisions can rob us of our joy and prevent us from moving forward with God and others.

Joseph displayed a different face. Joseph provides a pattern for us to follow, as he refused to be bitter. He chose to forgive and let his brothers “off the hook” for what they did to him. We, too, can choose to be bitter or better.