GROWTH, STAGNATION, OR REGRESSION?

“[Jesus] inspired all with his words of faith, hope and courage.” [UB Paper 154, Section 5]

Thought Adjuster: “Let us ponder the above statement. At a time when His entourage felt downtrodden and discouraged by the downturn of events, rather than chiming in, Jesus surprisingly seemed ‘unusually cheerful’ and addressed His followers with uplifting words. It is not that He was immune to the defamatory and derogatory comments circulated about Him by His detractors. Neither was He oblivious of their efforts to have Him wrongfully ‘impeached’ by conspiring to spin a web of lies aimed at blemishing His flawless character. Yet, He consistently put the welfare of others before His own—even in times when His own survival was at stake.

“This demonstrates the magnitude of His faith, His trust in His heavenly Father, and His bravery. Those are the attributes of a true hero and champion for the divine cause—not allowing the outside circumstances to discourage Him and deter Him from His sacred mandate.

“Life is a stern teacher and won’t spare any of you—no matter how deep you go into hiding and avoidance. Rather, it will place you in ever-recurring ‘fight or flight’ scenarios where your attitude will determine their outcome and the impact they will bear on your life: growth, stagnation, or regression?

“Jesus always went for growth—even at the sacrifice of His earthly life. He knew that what could be perceived as a loss was, in fact, a great victory—the testimony of His shining courage and unwavering determination to do the Father’s Will. He knew that life is eternal and that physical death is only the shedding of the carnal envelope, but not from the Spirit that indwells it for a season.

“Dear ones, by emulating Jesus’ behavior in your times of ordeals, you will rise to their challenges and grow into your Godlikeness. Rather than throwing your arms down in defeat before you even give it a try, roll up your spiritual sleeves and affirm your desire to be a victor—not a victim. You will be amazed by the influx of uplifting energies that will instill in you the ‘can do spirit’ needed to overcome these roadblocks that, far from being dead-ends, are part of the obstacle course strategically positioned along the Highway to Heaven.”