Luke 9:51-56: The ministry of tears.(please click here for todays passage)

I heard a leader ask, ‘Does good leadership walk away from a problem or towards it?’ I instinctively knew the answer, but was also aware in that moment of how much I feel the temptation to walk away from some things.

When you know that a difficult experience lies ahead, but you recognise that it must be part of God’s will for you, it is good to be resolute in determining to go through it, with His help. Set your face to ‘go to Jerusalem.’ Embrace the way of the cross. There is an unavoidable cost in Christian discipleship. Some things just have to be faced bravely; they cannot be avoided. You can’t fly over them; you have to go through them.

‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.’ Isaiah 43:2

And here’s another thing. Some Christians seem to be gung-ho about preaching hell and judgment. They seem to relish it. You can almost sense they are rubbing their hands together at the prospect.Theycan hardly wait to see people getting zapped; to watch fire falling on contemporary Samaritan villages. But one preacher said we should never speak about Hell except with tears in our eyes, and I rather find that I am drawn to his sentiments.

Prayer: ‘Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.’ C.T. Studd.