What often is overlooked about Christ on His way to Calvary was His despite for the cross, the pain and agony, and the shame accompanied. Christ despised, counted as nothing of importance the cost He was to pay for the forgiveness of sin on man’s behalf. What a prize our Lord is fo all who follow Him to eternity. He FINISHED!! If there is anything to be considered in the definition of words, finish is what most people do not do well!! There was no quit in the Lord. He came to “do the will of the Father.” What it cost to do that Will was of no consequence, it would be done. When trials met Christ on His journey, He endured! The Greek word means to preserve; under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith; to bear bravely and calmly ill treatments. Inordinate care for His body, this present life, and the world were not even in consideration. The fondness most have for this world actually becomes a dead weight pulling as an undertow. It pulls down when they need most to ascend. It pulls back whey we should press forward. There are many things that can come across our path of life when we travel. These things become a drag on our spirit and drag us into complacency, it causes us to put the world before the Lord, and it causes our cares to be for the wrong life!! The more the weight they pull, the heavier becomes our load, and the more we find ourselves doing exactly the opposite of what we intended when we entered the race!! The love affair we have with the things of the world have to be held in check or they will control our place of habitation for eternity! For some to think Christ was so naive as to not consider the cost before going to war is ridiculous!! Remember the parable of the king who “counted the cost?” Was this king wiser than our Lord? Did this King have more integrity than the God who created the heavens and the earth? Luke 14:28-32 It seems ridiculous that some faithless unbeliever would preach that our Lord was not as wise as the King!! If you think a King too high, what about the man who was to build a tower? Either the darling sin of the Jews, the over-fondness for the world, or the damning sin of unbelief causes this lack of drive to achieve the goal. Does this describe our Lord?
The race MUST be run!! That is what most of us do not consider. One day it will be finished-then what? Our Lord knew when He came into the world He was to die. He knew it before He created the heavens and the earth. He knew it as a baby in Mary’s arms. He knew what it would take for the Father to forgive sin. Do you think He dreaded His roll? When Christ was drawn out into the desert by Satan to be tried, did He throw up because of fear? Did He not know Satan? Had they ever met? Was He not Satan’s creator, also? If Christ had dreaded the cross as much as some of our brethren preach, could He just have not created Satan?? When He created Him, did Christ not pre-determine His death at Calvary? When Satan led Him off into the wilderness did Christ hesitate or was His spirit within Him such that He eagerly went out for the challenge? The book says “Jesus was led up of the spirit into the wilderness.” Matthew 4:1 The word “lead up” means to launch out, set sail, put to sea. Is this accidental? Or on purpose?? What spirit lead Him, His own spirit of the Holy Spirit? It is interesting, is it not that never are we without the tempter no matter what station we have in the Kingdom? Great privileges and special allowances will not secure us from being “tempted”!!
We had better consider that when we have great honors bestowed on us Satan or one of his imps will be around to check our resolve to be a child of God! Expect something humbling!! God usually prepares His people for temptation BEFORE He calls them to it; He gives strength according to the day, and, before a sharp trial, gives more than ordinary temptation, the good Spirit of adoption has already written out our plan of escape in that mighty book called the Bible which gives the answer to all the suggestions of the evil spirit that is trying to debauch or destroy us!! When we have been invited into the communion of God, we must expect we are at our weakest, then is when the evil one will set upon us. The Bible calls temptations fiery darts, thorns in the flesh, buffetings, siftings, wrestlings, combats, all which denote hardship and suffering!! Christ submitted to them because He humbled Himself, we are watched over, guarded, and protected BUT we too must show our colors!! Though Satan is the strong man armed, the Captain of or salvation is stronger than he!! Physical weakness from fasting never deterred the drive of His spirit for battle. Our Captain won the day!!
