When Charleston Heston was filming Ben Hur, he worked with the great stuntman, Yakima Canutt. After working with the teams of chariot horses for several weeks, Heston discussed with great concern that he was not sure he was up to the task. Yakima told him, “Chuck, you just stay on the chariot. I guarantee you are going to win the race.”
Challenges become easier when we know the outcome. Sometimes I get concerned when I see all the things going on in the world around us, but then I remember Christ telling the apostles, “take heart for I have overcome the world.” That is why we have to live each day with heaven in mind. Christ knew from the beginning that he would live a sinless life here on Earth that would ultimately lead to arrest, trial, beatings, and finally death on a rough wooden cross. He knew because he planned it that way to be the perfect sacrifice required for the washing away of sin. Even though he planned it, Christ knew it was going to be an excruciating ordeal and would have preferred not to go through it. Yet, for our sakes he endured intolerable pain and suffering so we would have an opportunity to spend eternity with Him.
Christ could endure because he knew the grave was not the end. We, too can endure trials that happen in our lives because we know that this life is not the end and we have been promised a place in paradise.
We are reminded of this promise each time we gather for communion. Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 11, The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. We live with the future in mind.
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