BY JACK WARD
Issac Butterworth tells this story. One time there was a man in my church, the owner of a local business and a highly intentional Christian. The apostle Paul once said of himself that he bore “on [his] body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17). Well, this man bore the marks of Jesus on his life.
His wife was the most annoying woman he had ever known. She was chronically ill and her sickness had embittered her spirit. She demanded almost all this man’s time and energy and she was never grateful for a single thing he did for her.
She complained about life and about him. For his part (I do not know how he did it), he remained gentle and serene, with the utmost patience for this woman. He never spoke ill of her. He never sighed under the burden of her criticism. He was truly a man of God. He had an intimacy with God that was not showy but evident.
If life had not rewarded him with outward happiness, he was deeply and inwardly joyful. God was his “portion,” as the Bible says in Lamentations 3:24, “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore, will I hope in him.” Psalm 16:5, “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.” Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”
This man was satisfied.
How could he do this? How could he be so patient and kind and committed to the welfare of his wife despite her ingratitude? I will tell you: he was in covenant with his wife and with God.
And here’s what I learned from him. This man partnered with God in his own process of sanctification.
Now, let me tell you what I mean. This man’s highest interest was not in being happy in some conventional way. No. Instead, the longing of his heart was to be the kind of person God wanted him to be.
And God must work on a person to make them like he wants them to be. And what this man did was yield to God’s program of overhaul in his life. God frequently uses suffering and adversity.
How does the old hymn say it? “When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
That is what this man wanted. He wanted his dross consumed; he wanted his unloving tendencies to be burned in the fire of affliction, if need be, and his gold refined, his character refashioned to be like that of his Lord, who “loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Do you bear the marks of Jesus in your life? They may not be visible to others all the time, but do those who know you best see them? Do you see them?
Listen to Pastor Jack’s sermons every Sunday morning at 10:30 on 98.9 WSIP FM. Check out the Tomahawk Missionary Baptist church Facebook page and our website: tomahawkmbc.com.