Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13)
We have all heard the phrase, “You are the hands and feet of Jesus.” This of course, is directed at Christians as ambassadors of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is no longer in the world today, but rather, seated at the right hand of God the Father, we are to be His hands and His feet. But what does this metaphor truly mean?
Almost exclusively, when we hear the phrase, “You are the hands and feet of Jesus,” it is speaking of serving. Serve the poor and the marginalized. Serve a cup of cold water to those who thirst. Serve within some ministry within the church. Serve on a committee or for an event. Serve as our Lord and Savior served because He did not come to be served, but to serve others (Mark 10:45). But I have a question for you to answer: “When was the last time you heard this metaphor as it related to suffering?” Let us make no mistake – the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ both served and suffered.
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to his disciple Timothy, he made it crystal clear what the Christian could expect to experience in this life, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 4:12). Suffering for the saints of God come in a variety of ways: from storms of sickness to relationship rejections to public persecution. The list is endless. The waves of challenge have been promised and we should not be surprised when they crash over our lives. This is the deepest meaning of being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Perhaps the best way to prepare ourselves for this reality is to keep in view how the hands and feet of our Lord were pierced for our transgressions. Jesus was nailed to our cross, with our nails, and died our death that we might be made the children of God and live forever more. Remember, we were the joy set before our Lord as He suffered and died in our place. As the hands and feet of Jesus, let us advance in this life through seasons of both serving and suffering knowing “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 