JOHN 12:27-28   “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”

Yesterday I wrote about how self-serving we can be if we are not careful. Our sinful nature would lead us to think only of ourselves and not others. But that is not the life to which we have been called as the redeemed children of God. Knowing of our forgiveness, life and salvation for Jesus’ sake makes us want to respond to God’s goodness.

Jesus did not take the ME, ME, AND ONLY ME attitude. He was tempted and struggled with it, but it does not prevail. He had just come into Jerusalem, with all the people hailing Him as their Messiah on Palm Sunday. It was only a matter of days before His cruel execution for the sake of others. He knew what was coming. Just a few verses before the passage above He said “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (12:24). He knew of the impending death, not for His own wrongdoing, but for yours. So He was struggling with the issue of what to do: Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour…  Jesus was a man. He had human emotions like you and me. He experienced the feelings we undergo. And when it came time for Him to serve others, what did Jesus say? “I’d rather be fishing? I’d rather be golfing? I’d rather be sailing?”

Even though Jesus was wrestling with what to do, Jesus knew the will of His Father and He wanted to do that. He knew there were difficult days ahead. But did He ask to be excused, saying He would rather be somewhere else? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name! He could have looked ahead at the arrest, the trial, the mockings, the whipping, the humiliation, the pain and crucifixion and said, “No thanks! I’d rather be fishing.” But He did not. He did not because His purpose was bigger than fishing. There is nothing wrong with fishing, but there is a time and a place for everything. His bigger calling was to glorify His Father, and at the same time bring salvation to all who would believe in Him.

You have come to this hour for a purpose as well: to glorify our God and bring honor to his name. Do you find yourself going through life always wishing you were somewhere else or doing something different? How much time do we waste wanting to be somewhere other than where we are? There is so much that you can and should be doing in response to the love of our gracious God.

There was a doctor who lived through the terrible bombing of Hiroshima. He was waiting for a streetcar only a mile away from the blast, but was sheltered by the corner of a concrete building.  Within seconds after the explosion, his ears were filled with the screams of victims all around him. Not knowing what had happened, he stood there for a moment bewildered. One doctor, wondering how he could help this mountain of patients. Then, still somewhat stunned, he knelt down, opened his black bag, and began treating the person lying at his feet. He may not be able to help them all, but he did something, which was better than doing nothing at all. You, too, must do something. Don’t despair that there is so much to be done. Bloom where you are planted, and do something. Do good to those around you. Share your faith. Pray, and give sacrificially to the work of the church. All God asks is that you do what you can with what He has given to you.

God has called each of you to be His own. Not only did He bring you to faith, but He called you to live for Him. The victory that Christ has won for you through His death and resurrection gives you the assurance of forgiveness. But it also gives you the power to overcome your sinful desires of the flesh, the power to live as God’s child. For this purpose you have come to this hour, that you might glorify your Father in heaven. How will you live for Him as you move forward from this point?

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Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow:  “Walk in the Footsteps of Paul.”

Links to the registration and brochure, along with previous devotions, can be found at revmattil.org.  If you want more information, email mike@revmattil.org.