Fear and Amazement

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Mark 10 (click on the link)


KEY VERSE:
They were on their way up to Jerusalem. Jesus was leading the way. The disciples were amazed. Those who followed were afraid. (Mark 10:32, NIRV)


REFLECTIONS:
It appears there were two groups following Jesus in Mark 10: the disciples and the crowd. The disciples were amazed, and the crowd was afraid. I can relate to both.

I know what it is to be astonished at the wonder of Jesus, in awe of where he will lead next. And I know what it is to be afraid of the leadership of Jesus, unsure where his leading will end up and whether I have what it takes to walk his path.

Life “with Jesus leading the way” is what you and I long for, what we signed up for when we gave our lives to Christ, but it can still be a bit unnerving. I guess some people get to a point in life where they trust Christ’s leadership without reservation, but most of us experience both fear and amazement throughout our journey with Jesus.

Whether it is the fear of trusting Christ’s leadership with your finances and then the amazement that he really does meet all of our needs, or the fear of approaching a relational conflict as Christ tells us then the amazement that it actually “works,” we usually experience a mixture of fear and astonishment in the practical day-to-day obedience to Christ.

When Jesus is steering my life, it often ends up in amazing places I would never have imagined. Leigh Anne and I chose to adopt Alexander when we figured that our preschool rearing days were a decade behind us. Sure, like the crowd following Jesus, there is some fear in truly trusting in the leadership of Jesus, but there is also the amazement that the life He has in store for me is better than I could ever orchestrate on my own.


POINT OF ACTION:
Which group are you in right now? Are you like the disciples, astonished at the future Jesus is leading you into… or like the crowd, afraid of where this may end up? Pause to pray… commit to surrender this day afresh “with Jesus leading the way.” Ask God to replace any fear with a sense of amazement that you are privileged to follow Christ today.

One quick side note: twice in Mark 10 Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” That is the question I ought to be asking Jesus, but he is asking that to me! Take a few minutes to answer that question right now, just between you and Lord. What is it that you want him to do for you? He is as eager to have that conversation with you as he was with his disciples and blind Bartimaeus.


WHO AM I?
My name is Greg Bland. I enjoy reading theology and real life survival stories. One of my favorite Christian authors is Gregory Boyd. I enjoy traveling and hope to sail from California to Hawaii one day.