John Bunyan lived in the 1600’s and is best known for his Christian classic Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan knew a lot about suffering as he spent 12 years in prison as he refused to stop preaching. All he had to do was agree to stop proclaiming the gospel, but he told those imprisoning him, “If you release me today, I will preach tomorrow.”
Life was hard for Bunyan and life is hard for us today. I used to read about spiritual heroes who suffered greatly and think, “I’ve got it really good. Why do I struggle so much in following Jesus?”
As I’ve grown into an almost 35 year old, I realize that life is hard for us all. Whether we suffer from depression, loneliness, a broken heart, or unfulfilled dreams, we all need Jesus to fill our brokenness and embrace us in the midst of it.
The amazing thing is that the call of the gospel is not “come after you fix yourself up”, but rather, “come just as you are.” I often say that the Christian life isn’t hard, it’s impossible. God made it this way so that we would never be able to live it in our own strength.
The following quotation from John Bunyan is spoken from the perspective of Jesus. As you read it, remember that Jesus never calls us to something that He won’t empower us to do. The difficulty of following Jesus should constantly remind us that we NEED HIM – ALWAYS!!! (John 15:5).
Following of me is not like following of some other masters. The wind sits always on my face and the foaming rage of the sea of this world, and the proud and lofty waves thereof do continually beat upon the sides of the bark or ship that myself, my cause, and my followers are in; he therefore that will not run hazards, and that is afraid to venture a drowning, let him not set foot into this vessel.
What does this quotation spark in you?
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