Dear friend,
Well, this is a letter that is incredibly difficult for me to write, as the contents might be a bit shocking to you. As of October 1st, I will no longer be employed by Scum of the Earth Church.
Over the 5+ years of working at Scum, I have found myself continuously stretched and challenged in both good and difficult ways. It has been the most rewarding experience of my life, and God has blessed me with the opportunity to see people’s lives changed. But it has also been a struggle, as I have found myself constantly in a state of flux and frustration.
Recently, I have been sensing that God is calling me to a season of rest in my life. As difficult as it has been to be obedient to this call, I trust that He is leading me to a good place, and I look forward to the greener pastures that He is inviting me to lay down in.
Last week, I was offered a job doing sales at an internet company called Service Magic. While I do not feel most at home in a cubicle, I am honestly looking forward to a regular schedule and a regular paycheck. I am very excited about having some time to reflect on what God has taught me over these past 5 years of my life, and to, like the Prophets invited the Israelites, remember what God has done.
My hope in this season is that God will refuel me, and that this might be a time for reigniting a passion in me for vocational ministry, as well as give me direction for what might lie ahead. I look with great anticipation to where He might lead me.
Now, you may be asking yourself if there is some big piece of drama surrounding this decision…some moral failure or conflict. I want to assure you that this is not the case, but rather that it is an invitation to fall more in love with Jesus, without the sense of obligation of ministry.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have done by partnering with me in ministry over the past 5+ years. It has been a blessing to me to have such wonderful people in my life, and to know that you have supported me in ministry through finances and prayers is an honor that I cannot say thank you enough for.
Logistically, if you choose to still give to Scum financially, please contact me and I will talk through some of the options for giving, whether it be to an individual staff member or to the general fund.
Also, if you would like to help me in this time of transition, I can collect up to 2 months ‘severance’ from the church based upon money that is in my account by the end of September. It is important that all money be sent before October 1 to make it into my account. You can do this by sending in a check to Scum at PO Box 101808 Denver, CO 80223, or by giving online at www.scumoftheearth.net
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at jrcook1@gmail.com or call me at 720-244-4020. I will be unavailable for about 2 weeks starting Monday the 21st, as I will be on a road trip, but I look forward to talking to you when I get back.
Thank you for all that you are!
Blessings,
Josh Cook
P.S. If you are writing a check, be sure to make it out to Scum of the Earth Church and put 10450-09 in the memo line
Friday, September 18, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
August Newsletter
Dear friend,
Pastoring is the most difficult job I’ve ever had. I don’t say that to elicit some form for sympathy or anything silly like that! I mention it more to ask you to pray with me for Scum. Every day it feels like we’re in a crazy transition period, and that God isn’t ready for us to get too comfortable in ourselves, and our own strength.
This month I have had to counsel someone who is looking at an impending prison sentence. I have had to pastor victims of heinous injustice, while also pastoring their oppressors. I have seen people come to the church for the first time, and leave after years at Scum with nowhere to go. It feels like my heart is constantly in flux with a barrage of emotions and challenges. It feels like one of those times when I feel most incapable, and it is in those times that I meet Jesus most wholeheartedly.
In the challenge of ministry, while trying to hold everything together, there is always a sense that you cannot do enough, you cannot fix everything. It can be a devastating feeling, unless, as I have learned over the past 5 years of ministry, you realize that you are not Jesus. I cannot heal people, cannot solve their problems, and I cannot deliver them from their addictions. It is purely by the grace of God!
But that doesn’t stop people from expecting it from me. And it doesn’t completely assuage a sense of guilt and obligation on my part. And this is what makes pastoring difficult: watching people, wishing for their healing, feeling incapacitated, and having to lean fully onto Jesus, trusting that He is at work. What an amazing exercise in the Christian walk.
And as I write this, I know that there are glimmers of hope on the horizon. I know that there are pictures of His grace shining in the eyes of the ever-increasing number of children at the church. I know that there are flickers of light in the songs of worship emanating from Scum that pierce the darkness of the surrounding neighborhood. And I know that there are the shouts of angels in heaven as people turn toward Jesus for the first time, or return to Him after years of being gone. God is using Scum as a vessel for His Kingdom.
In all that, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. As my friend Kate said once, it has to get darker before you can see the stars. I say that, because, I feel that Scum is on the cusp of something big, something grander than ever before, and God is providing a way for us to learn to lean more heavily into him, so that His will might be done.
But, it’s not easy. To watch, wait, pray, and trust is not easy. As a church, and as an individual, it can be the most daunting experience ever.
So, as selfish as it may be, I ask you to keep me in your prayers this month.
• Pray that I would learn to trust in Jesus more and more every day, knowing that it is He who provides and cares for me.
• Pray for hope. There are definitely times where it feels overwhelming. I know that this is true in everyone’s lives, and so I do not feel like I am alone. I want to see Jesus more: more visible, more active, more lived-out, more present. I want our church to know the riches that are the fullness of His glory.
• Pray for my finances. I have taken a $12,000 pay cut from last year’s salary at Scum. God has continued to provide, and I have a part-time job interview at the Apple store tomorrow. I am not sure what’s in store for me in the future, but it is still my hope to be working at Scum. I trust that He can make this happen, but sometimes it’s not the easiest thing to see.
• Pray for rest. I am hoping to take a vacation to Wyoming this month. I am only up preaching on August 9th, so that should give me some time to get away.
Pastoring is the most difficult job I’ve ever had. I don’t say that to elicit some form for sympathy or anything silly like that! I mention it more to ask you to pray with me for Scum. Every day it feels like we’re in a crazy transition period, and that God isn’t ready for us to get too comfortable in ourselves, and our own strength.
This month I have had to counsel someone who is looking at an impending prison sentence. I have had to pastor victims of heinous injustice, while also pastoring their oppressors. I have seen people come to the church for the first time, and leave after years at Scum with nowhere to go. It feels like my heart is constantly in flux with a barrage of emotions and challenges. It feels like one of those times when I feel most incapable, and it is in those times that I meet Jesus most wholeheartedly.
In the challenge of ministry, while trying to hold everything together, there is always a sense that you cannot do enough, you cannot fix everything. It can be a devastating feeling, unless, as I have learned over the past 5 years of ministry, you realize that you are not Jesus. I cannot heal people, cannot solve their problems, and I cannot deliver them from their addictions. It is purely by the grace of God!
But that doesn’t stop people from expecting it from me. And it doesn’t completely assuage a sense of guilt and obligation on my part. And this is what makes pastoring difficult: watching people, wishing for their healing, feeling incapacitated, and having to lean fully onto Jesus, trusting that He is at work. What an amazing exercise in the Christian walk.
And as I write this, I know that there are glimmers of hope on the horizon. I know that there are pictures of His grace shining in the eyes of the ever-increasing number of children at the church. I know that there are flickers of light in the songs of worship emanating from Scum that pierce the darkness of the surrounding neighborhood. And I know that there are the shouts of angels in heaven as people turn toward Jesus for the first time, or return to Him after years of being gone. God is using Scum as a vessel for His Kingdom.
In all that, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. As my friend Kate said once, it has to get darker before you can see the stars. I say that, because, I feel that Scum is on the cusp of something big, something grander than ever before, and God is providing a way for us to learn to lean more heavily into him, so that His will might be done.
But, it’s not easy. To watch, wait, pray, and trust is not easy. As a church, and as an individual, it can be the most daunting experience ever.
So, as selfish as it may be, I ask you to keep me in your prayers this month.
• Pray that I would learn to trust in Jesus more and more every day, knowing that it is He who provides and cares for me.
• Pray for hope. There are definitely times where it feels overwhelming. I know that this is true in everyone’s lives, and so I do not feel like I am alone. I want to see Jesus more: more visible, more active, more lived-out, more present. I want our church to know the riches that are the fullness of His glory.
• Pray for my finances. I have taken a $12,000 pay cut from last year’s salary at Scum. God has continued to provide, and I have a part-time job interview at the Apple store tomorrow. I am not sure what’s in store for me in the future, but it is still my hope to be working at Scum. I trust that He can make this happen, but sometimes it’s not the easiest thing to see.
• Pray for rest. I am hoping to take a vacation to Wyoming this month. I am only up preaching on August 9th, so that should give me some time to get away.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
June's Newsletter
On the theme of keeping you guessing regarding my newsletters, I thought I would change it up again a bit. This month, I asked Nick Brown to write my newsletter, so you might have a different perspective of what is going on in my ministry. Also, there is a bit of an ego boost when I get to hear in someone else’s words what they think of me! HA!
You can hear Nick’s testimony on our website at http://www.scumoftheearth.net/v2/sermons/SOTEC_06.15.08_Story_4_Nick.mp3
From Nick:
When Josh Cook asked me if I would write his newsletter for him, I wanted to steal his phone—not just cuz it’s rad either. I thought the best way to take a snap shot of the ministry in and around Josh would require his calendar, scroll-like call log, and the incessant reminder of how many people this man influences on a daily basis.
(Have you ever had coffee with Josh? His phone has to be recharged between refills.)
I decided not to take up theft just to write about Josh’s work this month. Instead of telling all ya’ll about the people Josh influences every day, I hope to convey how Christ’s work through Josh in May of 2009 has impacted just one person—me.
For the past year Josh has been a friend, mentor and pastor. During one of our meetings, Josh asked me “who is Christ in the flesh to you?” At the time I didn’t have an answer because I have trust issues, which basically means that receiving things from people feels like riding a fixed gear bike down a mountain—I’ve never done it mind you (my fixie application was denied due to my lack of coolness), but regardless it seems like a stupid thing to do. Just like trust. It seems really stupid.
Our men’s Bible study—which Josh leads—has been in the Gospel of John all year. I left our first meeting this month with a bad taste in my mouth. Josh had basically pulled the worst pastoral sucker punch in the history of pastors and sucker punches. He connected our struggle with sin to our lack of trust in Jesus. Jerk.
Yet the last year-and-a-half of knowing Josh Cook (or anyone else at Scum for that matter) has taught me that he is not the pastor who heaps spiritual blame and condemnation on the heads of struggling people. As much as I wanted to be angry and point my angry finger at the angry-faced pastor who hit my angry button, another look at Josh’s face informed me that he was not angry, nor did he exclude himself from his challenge; I had to look at myself.
Before I was angry, I felt hurt. Before I was hurt, I felt exposed. Before I was exposed, I was shown that my mistrust in Christ made my life worse. Instead of trusting God’s provision, healing and love, my nature is stealing, drinking and sleeping around. These things have hurt me. My friend and pastor was trying to help me.
I was able to receive the challenge because I have a relationship with Josh. I kinda know him, and I’ve kinda let him know me. Whatever discomfort I experienced that night at Bible study was framed within our relationship. As a result, I was able to receive his sharp words as discipline—the stuff the writer of Hebrews 12 references as evidence for God’s love and motivation to persevere.
In the greater context of my time hanging out with Josh whether at Scum, Bible study, out for coffee or just catching a movie, I have gotten to know him and enjoy him. This month in particular I realized that Josh is among a handful of people in my life God had used to strengthen my faith in Jesus by first teaching me to trust people. Maybe that makes Josh a fleshy Jesus to me.
Sometimes I get pissed off, hurt and exposed, but I’m beginning to see through people that God is with me, not against me. God is trying to teach and grow me, not torment me. From where I’m sitting, that makes God good, and I want to keep following a God like that.
I must admit, it’s truly humbling to read these words. I’m not too sure how to receive them, as they paint me in a much better light than I think to be true, but I am honestly honored to be friends with someone like Nick. He truly has been a blessing to me!
So, with that, I just ask that you pray that this ministry continues, and that God continues to let me do ministry alongside, with, and to my friends.
Thank you for all that you are!
Blessings,
j
www.scumoftheearth.net
You can hear Nick’s testimony on our website at http://www.scumoftheearth.net/v2/sermons/SOTEC_06.15.08_Story_4_Nick.mp3
From Nick:
When Josh Cook asked me if I would write his newsletter for him, I wanted to steal his phone—not just cuz it’s rad either. I thought the best way to take a snap shot of the ministry in and around Josh would require his calendar, scroll-like call log, and the incessant reminder of how many people this man influences on a daily basis.
(Have you ever had coffee with Josh? His phone has to be recharged between refills.)
I decided not to take up theft just to write about Josh’s work this month. Instead of telling all ya’ll about the people Josh influences every day, I hope to convey how Christ’s work through Josh in May of 2009 has impacted just one person—me.
For the past year Josh has been a friend, mentor and pastor. During one of our meetings, Josh asked me “who is Christ in the flesh to you?” At the time I didn’t have an answer because I have trust issues, which basically means that receiving things from people feels like riding a fixed gear bike down a mountain—I’ve never done it mind you (my fixie application was denied due to my lack of coolness), but regardless it seems like a stupid thing to do. Just like trust. It seems really stupid.
Our men’s Bible study—which Josh leads—has been in the Gospel of John all year. I left our first meeting this month with a bad taste in my mouth. Josh had basically pulled the worst pastoral sucker punch in the history of pastors and sucker punches. He connected our struggle with sin to our lack of trust in Jesus. Jerk.
Yet the last year-and-a-half of knowing Josh Cook (or anyone else at Scum for that matter) has taught me that he is not the pastor who heaps spiritual blame and condemnation on the heads of struggling people. As much as I wanted to be angry and point my angry finger at the angry-faced pastor who hit my angry button, another look at Josh’s face informed me that he was not angry, nor did he exclude himself from his challenge; I had to look at myself.
Before I was angry, I felt hurt. Before I was hurt, I felt exposed. Before I was exposed, I was shown that my mistrust in Christ made my life worse. Instead of trusting God’s provision, healing and love, my nature is stealing, drinking and sleeping around. These things have hurt me. My friend and pastor was trying to help me.
I was able to receive the challenge because I have a relationship with Josh. I kinda know him, and I’ve kinda let him know me. Whatever discomfort I experienced that night at Bible study was framed within our relationship. As a result, I was able to receive his sharp words as discipline—the stuff the writer of Hebrews 12 references as evidence for God’s love and motivation to persevere.
In the greater context of my time hanging out with Josh whether at Scum, Bible study, out for coffee or just catching a movie, I have gotten to know him and enjoy him. This month in particular I realized that Josh is among a handful of people in my life God had used to strengthen my faith in Jesus by first teaching me to trust people. Maybe that makes Josh a fleshy Jesus to me.
Sometimes I get pissed off, hurt and exposed, but I’m beginning to see through people that God is with me, not against me. God is trying to teach and grow me, not torment me. From where I’m sitting, that makes God good, and I want to keep following a God like that.
I must admit, it’s truly humbling to read these words. I’m not too sure how to receive them, as they paint me in a much better light than I think to be true, but I am honestly honored to be friends with someone like Nick. He truly has been a blessing to me!
So, with that, I just ask that you pray that this ministry continues, and that God continues to let me do ministry alongside, with, and to my friends.
Thank you for all that you are!
Blessings,
j
www.scumoftheearth.net
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
May Newsletter
So, this last month we had a pretty big snowstorm. That’s not terribly unusual for Denver, whose snowy months are March and April, but this storm brought in about 10 inches of snow. We were all preparing for the worst and cancelling meetings, because Denver doesn’t really know what to do with that much snow in the city. In the mountains we love it, but down here, we’re a bit crippled by it.
Well, after my morning meeting, and before the snow hit real us hard, I came home and approached my house only to realize that our snow shovel had been stolen. In the 7 years I have been in Denver, this was a first. And, with the ensuing snow, this was a fairly severe aggravation.
A couple of hours after I got home, I heard a knock on the door. I answered the door only to meet James, a homeless guy who had ‘borrowed our snow shovel’ to make some money. He then informed me that he was going to shovel our walks for free. I watched as he turned to begin to shovel the walks, and my heart sank a bit; he was dressed in a garbage bag and had a bare head and bare hands.
I grabbed one of my heavy winter coats, a pair of gloves, and a wool cap to give to him. Only on our second encounter did I realize that he was VERY intoxicated. I was worried for his safety, as most of the people who die on the streets due to exposure have large quantities of alcohol in their system.
I invited James into the house and offered him some tea. He told me he would rather have whiskey, and I told him that I wouldn’t serve him any. He then asked me if I would go to the liquor store for him since he had been cut off. I told him that alcohol is actually a depressant and that he should think of things to try to keep him warm. He didn’t like this idea.
I then offered to take him to the Rescue Mission, where he could get a warm meal and a warm bed. He REALLY didn’t like this idea. To James, it was more important to be able to drink all night in the snow than to sober up in the warmth of the shelter.
Since that day, we’ve seen James several times, and had several opportunities to share Christ’s love with him, but every time he seems fairly reticent to talk about anything spiritual, or to accept any help that would mean that he would have to give up alcohol. It’s been a sad endeavor, but one that doesn’t leave me hopeless.
Dietrich Bonheoffer, a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the Nazi Regime, wrote in a book entitled Life Together these words, “True Spiritual Love is when we stop talking to a person about God and start talking to God about that person.” In the almost 5 years that I’ve been on staff at Scum, I have had to take these words to heart when my ministry feels futile and ineffective; these words remind me that God is at work even when I don’t see an immediate response.
And these words have taught me to have patience. It’s been this patient prayer that has bore the fruit of so many that I, and countless others, have considered impossible. It’s been the prayer for my friends like Jesse, Neil, Sissy, Don, and so many others who, although they have seemed like lost causes, have grown immensely closer to Jesus. I had to learn, in this patient prayer process, that the effective work of the Spirit is a marathon, not a sprint. And in this process, I have learned to lean more heavily into the only One who is capable of bringing about change in a person’s life: Jesus Christ.
Well, after my morning meeting, and before the snow hit real us hard, I came home and approached my house only to realize that our snow shovel had been stolen. In the 7 years I have been in Denver, this was a first. And, with the ensuing snow, this was a fairly severe aggravation.
A couple of hours after I got home, I heard a knock on the door. I answered the door only to meet James, a homeless guy who had ‘borrowed our snow shovel’ to make some money. He then informed me that he was going to shovel our walks for free. I watched as he turned to begin to shovel the walks, and my heart sank a bit; he was dressed in a garbage bag and had a bare head and bare hands.
I grabbed one of my heavy winter coats, a pair of gloves, and a wool cap to give to him. Only on our second encounter did I realize that he was VERY intoxicated. I was worried for his safety, as most of the people who die on the streets due to exposure have large quantities of alcohol in their system.
I invited James into the house and offered him some tea. He told me he would rather have whiskey, and I told him that I wouldn’t serve him any. He then asked me if I would go to the liquor store for him since he had been cut off. I told him that alcohol is actually a depressant and that he should think of things to try to keep him warm. He didn’t like this idea.
I then offered to take him to the Rescue Mission, where he could get a warm meal and a warm bed. He REALLY didn’t like this idea. To James, it was more important to be able to drink all night in the snow than to sober up in the warmth of the shelter.
Since that day, we’ve seen James several times, and had several opportunities to share Christ’s love with him, but every time he seems fairly reticent to talk about anything spiritual, or to accept any help that would mean that he would have to give up alcohol. It’s been a sad endeavor, but one that doesn’t leave me hopeless.
Dietrich Bonheoffer, a Lutheran pastor in Germany during the Nazi Regime, wrote in a book entitled Life Together these words, “True Spiritual Love is when we stop talking to a person about God and start talking to God about that person.” In the almost 5 years that I’ve been on staff at Scum, I have had to take these words to heart when my ministry feels futile and ineffective; these words remind me that God is at work even when I don’t see an immediate response.
And these words have taught me to have patience. It’s been this patient prayer that has bore the fruit of so many that I, and countless others, have considered impossible. It’s been the prayer for my friends like Jesse, Neil, Sissy, Don, and so many others who, although they have seemed like lost causes, have grown immensely closer to Jesus. I had to learn, in this patient prayer process, that the effective work of the Spirit is a marathon, not a sprint. And in this process, I have learned to lean more heavily into the only One who is capable of bringing about change in a person’s life: Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
New Sermon
Based on Isaiah 40, it's called Jesus, Where Did Your Footprints Go. You can hear it here
Monday, November 24, 2008
November newsletter (VERY LATE)
Dear friend,
I know this letter is pretty late, so sorry for that. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but good ones. With things at the building settling down, and my sermon done, things will begin to fall back into place. And the job of getting to be a pastor again is getting more real all the time. While I can do the administrative side of my job, my true passion lies in getting to sit with someone who wants to know more about Jesus, and that is a blessing!
This month I thought I would change things up a bit in my newsletter and do a bit of sermonizing here. I thought that maybe we could share some thoughts on Jesus. I am going to give you a bit of a synopsis of my sermon last preached at Scum. If you want to hear more, you can visit our website at www.scumoftheearth.net and follow the link for podcasts. My sermon is entitled Suffering in Isaiah. You can also link it off of my blog at beardedjosh.blogspot.com.
So, in 30th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet is writing to the nation of Judah, who is looking at the immanent attack from Assyria. In the face of adversity, they do as so many of us do, and they turn to their own devices: they seek help from their southern neighbor, Egypt.
The chapter starts with this challenge: “Woe to the obstinate children… to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin.” The Lord is warning them of the destruction that awaits them as they turn from God to their own devices. It is a warning that we all face daily in the ways that we run from the God who offers us deliverance from the obstacles that we face in our lives: the suffering, the pain, the frustrations, the anger, etc. We are the obstinate children, who, like the Israelites, have such a longing for safety and security that we know that we need, but who do not find rest and peace in God, and so we run to our devices to ease the pain.
But, there’s an interesting twist in verse 23, when God speaks and says that he gives us the bread of affliction and the water of suffering. Now, I must admit, I was terribly troubled when I read this. Does this mean that a lot of the suffering that we endure is actually given to us by the hand of God? Well, knowing that this thought is borderline heretical, let me explain as such: while God does not create suffering, he allows it for our own good.
The fact is that we live in a world that is not as it was intended to be. There is evil in our world that causes things like cancer, genocide, and war. This is not in God’s original design, but rather is the result of sin that entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, and thus became the first ones to run from God’s intention and care. We’ve been following in their footsteps ever since. And God allows us to run just far enough that we will find ourselves in a position where we will want to turn back to Him. It is for our own good.
And so, when we face the trials that are sure to come as part of living in a fallen world, it is imperative that we turn toward Jesus and trust in Him. Our natural reaction is to take matters into our own hands, but just as Jesus stood waiting for us the first time we turned to Him, he still waits for us with open arms to rescue and deliver us from the pains that we are facing…if we would just turn to Him instead of running from Him.
This is the message that our church needed to hear, and it is probably the message that we could all stand to hear on a daily basis.
And so, please take this as an invitation to remember what it was like when you first encountered the Gospel, that sweet feeling of relief to know that the Savior was waiting for you to turn to Him and welcome you home. And turn back to Him again and again as you encounter the temptation to run to the many vices that offer us a sense of security, when the only true hope for peace is in the redeeming arms of our Lord.
May He bless you as you turn,
Josh Cook
I know this letter is pretty late, so sorry for that. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, but good ones. With things at the building settling down, and my sermon done, things will begin to fall back into place. And the job of getting to be a pastor again is getting more real all the time. While I can do the administrative side of my job, my true passion lies in getting to sit with someone who wants to know more about Jesus, and that is a blessing!
This month I thought I would change things up a bit in my newsletter and do a bit of sermonizing here. I thought that maybe we could share some thoughts on Jesus. I am going to give you a bit of a synopsis of my sermon last preached at Scum. If you want to hear more, you can visit our website at www.scumoftheearth.net and follow the link for podcasts. My sermon is entitled Suffering in Isaiah. You can also link it off of my blog at beardedjosh.blogspot.com.
So, in 30th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet is writing to the nation of Judah, who is looking at the immanent attack from Assyria. In the face of adversity, they do as so many of us do, and they turn to their own devices: they seek help from their southern neighbor, Egypt.
The chapter starts with this challenge: “Woe to the obstinate children… to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin.” The Lord is warning them of the destruction that awaits them as they turn from God to their own devices. It is a warning that we all face daily in the ways that we run from the God who offers us deliverance from the obstacles that we face in our lives: the suffering, the pain, the frustrations, the anger, etc. We are the obstinate children, who, like the Israelites, have such a longing for safety and security that we know that we need, but who do not find rest and peace in God, and so we run to our devices to ease the pain.
But, there’s an interesting twist in verse 23, when God speaks and says that he gives us the bread of affliction and the water of suffering. Now, I must admit, I was terribly troubled when I read this. Does this mean that a lot of the suffering that we endure is actually given to us by the hand of God? Well, knowing that this thought is borderline heretical, let me explain as such: while God does not create suffering, he allows it for our own good.
The fact is that we live in a world that is not as it was intended to be. There is evil in our world that causes things like cancer, genocide, and war. This is not in God’s original design, but rather is the result of sin that entered the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, and thus became the first ones to run from God’s intention and care. We’ve been following in their footsteps ever since. And God allows us to run just far enough that we will find ourselves in a position where we will want to turn back to Him. It is for our own good.
And so, when we face the trials that are sure to come as part of living in a fallen world, it is imperative that we turn toward Jesus and trust in Him. Our natural reaction is to take matters into our own hands, but just as Jesus stood waiting for us the first time we turned to Him, he still waits for us with open arms to rescue and deliver us from the pains that we are facing…if we would just turn to Him instead of running from Him.
This is the message that our church needed to hear, and it is probably the message that we could all stand to hear on a daily basis.
And so, please take this as an invitation to remember what it was like when you first encountered the Gospel, that sweet feeling of relief to know that the Savior was waiting for you to turn to Him and welcome you home. And turn back to Him again and again as you encounter the temptation to run to the many vices that offer us a sense of security, when the only true hope for peace is in the redeeming arms of our Lord.
May He bless you as you turn,
Josh Cook
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