Friday 12/28/12 No Pain, No Gain

Dear Father in Heaven.  Thanks for the pain you bore for us on the cross, and thanks for carrying the pain of my sins to the cross with You.  And today I want to tell You that I am sorry that I keep causing You pain by my sinning.  I love You, Jesus, and I pray in Your name.  Amen.

Brothers and sisters ... They are calling for snow here at the Southern Location of the North Pole, and what does old Santa say about that?  "Come on, summer."  Please keep praying for those on our prayer list of yesterday.  Also please pray for our leaders in Washington, DC.  It is time they grow up and get the peoples' work done.  Also pray for our military, police, firefighters, and all those who work to keep us safe and healthy.  Thanks ... Now let's look at "pain and gain."

John 3:16/17 - For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  (NIV)

"No Pain, No Gain."  How often have you heard that saying?  Those who play sports and are really good at it train well to do it.  Even the guys in NASCAR racing work out and train hard.  Some think this is not a sport, but let me tell you when that pit crew goes over the wall they get a workout.  Thirteen seconds to change four tires, clean a windshield and fill the car with gas, and the driver, five hours behind the wheel at well over 100 degrees inside the car at speeds up to 200 mph and just inches away from others, that is hard work.  I am sure what goes on behind what is seen on race day or at a ball game is a lot of icing down and a lot of heat wraps.  Pain, pain, pain.

And how many of us today are without pain?  Even if you are not in sports of a workout "nut", we have all, or most all of us have been through some rehab for a broken bone, replacement knee, or back surgery or just a bad back.  We have twisted ankles, broken hands, and I could go on and on ... and you get sent to PT, rehab to help the recovery, and let me tell you that when you have had a knee replaced and need to work it out on a bike, there is pain.  When you have had back surgery and they have you doing weight lifting, each pound seems like a ton.  No Pain, No Gain, right?  Well, some now are trying to say that you should not work out to the point of pain, while others want those parts to sting.  But let me look at this.

What about No pain for one, no gain for the other?  Let's just look at sports, and most all sports are team sports.  What good is that old quarterback if the line in front of him is not taking on some pain to stop the other team from getting to him?  What good is the pitcher in baseball if the catcher does not take a little pain?  Can't you feel the pain in the hand of a good catcher when they caught old Nolan Ryan, or that pitcher they called the Rocket?  How about that foul tip that gets them even in a covered area?

So the pain of others is very important to us.  Even in a home, and men, think about this.  How much pain does your wife get just putting up with us?  Oh, did I say that?  Now think about this ... Men, how often have you run that sweeper?  It can hurt a back as much as anything, and what about standing at an ironing board, and moreso after a long day at work.  Oh, and ladies, it works the other way around.  You try coming home after work and taking a nap, well, the pain us men go through just thinking of you working after you come home from work is mental pain, and we will put up with that, just for you.  And you can rest easy that after that nap, that housework will be waiting for you.  (Some men are different than that.)

Hold on here, I am going someplace with this today.  IF WE DID NOT HAVE PAIN, IF WE NEVER HAD ANY PAIN IN OUR LIFE, would we really appreciate that?  Would we appreciate what Jesus went through for us?  Let me answer those for you.  No, we would not have a clue what Jesus went through, and even with all the pain we have in daily living we will never be able to feel His pain.

Jesus did not just have the pain on the cross when He was nailed, or when the crown of thorns was placed on His head.  He had pain when they spit on Him, and He even had pain when they mocked Him.  Think of how much pain you had when someone would call you a name, or even now if someone would say things about you that were not true.

I have heard people say, "I feel your pain."  To that I say, how, since we all feel pain differently?  There is pain from working out, there is pain from getting hurt in an accident, there is pain when you work your body too hard, and then there is mental pain from well, from lots of different things.  Broken homes, hurt family members, kids gone bad.  I could go on and on.  Lost job, bills backing up, too much to get done, and so it goes ...

But I want you to remember this one thing ... How many people take on the pain of others?  Let me first say right now THANKS TO OUR MILITARY!  So many for so long have given of themselves to protect us, some gave it all, and all gave some.  Men and women killed, leave pain to the family left behind, but what about those who have lost limbs, a leg, a foot, both legs ... the pain goes on and on, and talk about mental pain, and believe me, I can NOT feel this one, but it must hurt so bad when you have had to shoot others, even on the other side.  I would think the mental pain would last a lifetime.  So thanks to the many veterans who have lived in pain for protecting our freedom.

Our Lord Jesus, one who did not need to take on the pain of our sins, but did.  Just think of your pain when one of your kids gets into trouble.  Think of the parents of the 17 year-old here in Pennsylvania who killed his classmate and their parents some years ago.  Think of the family of those who have shot many in schools. The pain is bad, but Jesus took on pain for the sins of the world.  We are all children of God, all of us, even those who say there is no God.  Now think of this, having a child and seeing them not want to love you, how much pain is that?  Jesus feels that pain all the time, not just when He was here on earth.  He felt it starting from when Adam and Eve went bad, ate that fruit, disobeyed the rules.

Jesus felt pain like this all the time and as I said, even now ... But AGAIN JUST think of the pain of the day He was beaten, spit on, nailed to the cross, thorns on His head and a sword in His side.  Yes, I repeated that.  Think of this.  Think mostly of the nail going through your foot, not the bottom as if you stepped on it, but being hammered down through the bones.  The shampoo bottle fell when I was in the shower, it landed on my big toe and that hurts.  I have had the bar of soap fall and land on the top of my foot right where I would think the nail, or SPIKE went into the feet of Jesus.  Try this, take your shampoo bottle and hold it down at arm's length and just drop it on your foot, a distance of about two feet ... tell me how bad it hurts.

No Pain, No Gain ... Yes, I think for Jesus to gain the respect of those of us who have been BORN AGAIN He had to go through the pain, for the pain he bore on the cross was for us.  Remember, He could have walked on by.  Thy will be done, Jesus told His Father in Heaven.  Thy will.

So today as we carry pain, think of this, if we never had pain, if we never had a spot of pain in our lives, would we appreciate at all what Jesus went through for us?  So, my dear brothers and sisters, when your pain is bad, when you think you cannot handle any more, try this.  Think of the pain Jesus went through for us, for you and for me.  Think of a nail being driven into your hands or wrists (location is not important as some differ where the nail went in.)  Think of the nail going through your foot.  Just think of someone hitting your foot with a hammer over and over again.  When you have back pain, think of the beating Jesus took for you, and pray, and I think you will find that your own mind will help you through the great pain and even today, Jesus will help carry your pain.  Also remember this, Jesus is not going to let you carry things you cannot deal with, if you truly believe in Him.

No Pain, No Gain.  Jesus took the pain, we got the gain, and EVERYONE ON THIS LINE SHOULD BE SAYING THANK YOU, JESUS.  And today I believe Jesus suffers additional pain each time we sin.

Dear Jesus:  THANK YOU, Thank You for covering my sins with Your blood.  I am sorry that I caused You pain and still cause You pain.  Please forgive me.  In Jesus' name, I pray.  Amen.

Now go forth and try not to cause Jesus any more pain.  And please share your blessings.

Love ya, Pastor Dan.