KEY VERSE:
"Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
(John 18:11)
CENTRAL TRUTH:
Jesus is willing to receive all that the Father gives him.
LET GOD TAKE CONTROL ? . . . SURRENDER ?
As an alpha male, the thought of surrendering seemed weak and pathetic. Only losers surrender. . . . Right? We live in a society that preaches bigger, stronger, faster . . . . There is no second place – rather, he's just the first place loser. Win at all cost. . . . Right? This is how I was wired at a very early age. I knew nothing different and thought if you did not agree with this thinking then something was wrong with you.
God has a knack for rewiring His children. He takes events in our lives and uses them to shape us. God used my son as a way of molding Cindy and I into the people He wanted us to be. After watching our son deal with surgery, chemo and radiation for 2 ½ years, we realized that we were not in control. The death of our son was a major turning point in my life. I thought that I was in control of my life. I had the world by the tail. God showed us that we were not in control and that His will would be accomplished. God began opening our eyes to Him. We began surrendering to His will instead of our own.
It was when God got us to the lowest point in our lives that He could finally use us. He began allowing Cindy and I to take our experiences and lessons to minister to others. He molded us into what we were put on Earth to do. Much like Jesus was telling Peter to put away his sword in John 18:11, He was asking me to surrender and allow His plan to unfold. We must trust God to work out His plan.
Jay’s Hope, God’s appointed ministry for us, has served over 400 families. Had Cindy and I had our way and our son survived cancer, Jay’s Hope would probably not exist. Had Peter has his way in the Garden, Jesus would not have gone to the cross, and God’s plan would have been thwarted.
Surrendering to God’s will is a sign of strength not weakness. Jesus demonstrated this on the cross. Jesus freely and willingly surrendered to God’s will and in doing so revealed God’s love for the world.
"Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
(John 18:11)
CENTRAL TRUTH:
Jesus is willing to receive all that the Father gives him.
LET GOD TAKE CONTROL ? . . . SURRENDER ?
As an alpha male, the thought of surrendering seemed weak and pathetic. Only losers surrender. . . . Right? We live in a society that preaches bigger, stronger, faster . . . . There is no second place – rather, he's just the first place loser. Win at all cost. . . . Right? This is how I was wired at a very early age. I knew nothing different and thought if you did not agree with this thinking then something was wrong with you.
God has a knack for rewiring His children. He takes events in our lives and uses them to shape us. God used my son as a way of molding Cindy and I into the people He wanted us to be. After watching our son deal with surgery, chemo and radiation for 2 ½ years, we realized that we were not in control. The death of our son was a major turning point in my life. I thought that I was in control of my life. I had the world by the tail. God showed us that we were not in control and that His will would be accomplished. God began opening our eyes to Him. We began surrendering to His will instead of our own.
It was when God got us to the lowest point in our lives that He could finally use us. He began allowing Cindy and I to take our experiences and lessons to minister to others. He molded us into what we were put on Earth to do. Much like Jesus was telling Peter to put away his sword in John 18:11, He was asking me to surrender and allow His plan to unfold. We must trust God to work out His plan.
Jay’s Hope, God’s appointed ministry for us, has served over 400 families. Had Cindy and I had our way and our son survived cancer, Jay’s Hope would probably not exist. Had Peter has his way in the Garden, Jesus would not have gone to the cross, and God’s plan would have been thwarted.
Surrendering to God’s will is a sign of strength not weakness. Jesus demonstrated this on the cross. Jesus freely and willingly surrendered to God’s will and in doing so revealed God’s love for the world.
Wow, Jason...thank you so much for sharing your heart and the realities of the trials you faced. I have never thought about the crusifixion through the actions of Peter and how things would have unfolded had just one person not been obedient. I am so glad God is able to use your pain to help so many others. Bless you for turning a tradegy into a triump! Now that is a real winner!
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