I was thinking about the name of this blog, and I love it because it came from a picture that God gave me one day quite some time ago. And yet, as I pondered the life we are called to as followers of Jesus, I realized how often we are called to do exactly the opposite. Instead of ascending, we must descend. Perhaps this blog should be entitled “Invitations to Descend” – instead of an upward trajectory, ours is downwards.
Lower, and yet lower still.
For it is here we meet yet another of the paradoxes of the kingdom. It is in dying that we are saved. In losing our lives that we, instead, find them (Matt 16:25). In this kingdom, the last will be first, and the first last (Matt 20:16). For this is the way of Jesus. This is the way of our glorious Saviour. And just as it was his path, it must also be ours. For we are the people of the cross, we are the people who follow in his footsteps. (For those who have not read it, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship is a stunning reflection on this topic from a man who truly lived what he preached. The book is taken from his lectures to students at the illegal seminary he taught at during the early years of the Nazi regime. See also The Call of the Cross).
Of course, all this is only possible in light of the great promise – the eternal truth – that we are also the people of the resurrection. No matter how it appears, the cross is never the final word.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “I remember that he that descended [Jesus] is the same who also ascended. This should encourage us to feel that, sink as we may, lower and yet lower still, we shall rise all the higher because of that sinking, and shall enter still more completely into fellowship with Christ both in his sufferings and in his glory. “
Paul wrote to the Church in Rome, “You have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, their heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:15-17
What a promise! We will be glorified with Jesus. The promise of what lay ahead that enabled Jesus to endure the cross (Hebrews 12:2).
I wonder if we have even an inkling of what lies before us? Is it that which sustains us when we walk through the valley?
Because He rose, we too will rise.
This song beautifully seeks to depict the moment of the resurrection.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that our hope is in you. Thank you that because you walked the darkest valley, we need not fear, for you are with us. And thank you that you rose again and are gloriously seated at the right hand of the Father. Help us, too, to hold on to the promise of the resurrection. May it be for us also a joy set before us that sustains us and beckons us home. Amen
What are your thoughts? Do you ponder the significance of the resurrection? How do the joy and glory set before you change your outlook on life?
I would love to hear from you! Feel free to comment below, or to contact us at any time. If you subscribe to this blog, you will be notified when new posts are available, and/or you can follow us on Instagram.