Meeting 4/2/11

In John 12, Jesus had just finished talking about loving your life and losing it versus hating your life and keeping your life for eternity.  It seems to have connection to participating in His design of humbly denying and dying to self in this world.  One picture He used was the seed dying to live and make many seeds.  Die to live.  Hate to love.  Paradoxes.  Sounds unrewarding in this world to many people.  But when you connect this design to participating in a much bigger purpose than yourself or your accomplishments in this world, things make more sense.  Jesus then goes on to describe His troubled heart.  He sensed the strain and struggle before Him.  He sensed His 'dying' to self and man-kind.  Interesting response, He had.  He asked, 'what should I say?  Father save me from this task?  Take it easy on me?  Let me have a nice life, insulate me from hardship, etc.' (Bush paraphrase)  Instead, He connected to His purpose in life:  "No, it was for this vey reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!"  I love the exclamation point in the scripture.  I don't believe He said this softly.  I believe it was exclaimed triumphantly and passionately.  It was huge enough to inspire a voice from heaven that everyone around heard.  He made the faith connection to His purpose in life, the 'why' He came.  Let us consider that.  Why are we here?  What about our purpose?  And even in the hardship and persecution of dying to self for a greater purpose, let us not grumble.  People, whine no more.