Inconvenienced for Jesus by Martin Wiles

Inconvenienced? Yes, but worth enduring because of the pleasure it brought.

Camping in the backcountry carries many inconveniences, among them acquiring water. Securing water is not actually the major hassle; making it safe to drink is. Most water sources are contaminated, and consuming it unpurified puts one at major risk for illness. Several methods are available: boiling, iodine tablets, and filtering. The most convenient way…but one that carries a small risk, is pumping it through a filtering system. This renders it immediately drinkable and leaves no aftertaste. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14 NKJV). The word from which “dwelt” is translated carries the connotation of camping. Jesus camped out among humanity when he took on human flesh. He too knew a little about inconvenience.

Accomplishing the Father’s will put Jesus on a collision course with the religious elite, the political authorities, and occasionally the common people. You would think his kindness, generosity, and love for all people would have impressed everyone, but it didn’t. So inconvenient did obeying his Father become that it eventually led to his death.

I’ve discovered the same. I didn’t initially choose to follow Jesus because it was convenient. I had already witnessed for a number of years the inconvenience it caused my parents. Nor have I continued to serve him because it’s necessarily expedient. Loving the unlovable, speaking a message that’s often countercultural, and trusting the unknown in the absence of proof aren’t always easy, but they’re the proper course of action.

Jesus said the burden of following him was easy; he didn’t say it was convenient. Are you inconveniencing yourself for the one who inconvenienced himself for you?

Prayer: Thank You Lord Jesus for shouldering the cross in payment for our sins when it wasn’t convenient. Prompt us to serve You with the same kind of love You served us with.

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