In His Letter to the Colossians (continued)
Good Tidings In An Emergency Situation (continued)
For example, supposing someone, with whom your life and heart are closely bound up, lies in a very serious and critical illness, and you call in medical help. You are under a great burden of anxiety: it matter very much to you which way it goes; and you wait for what seems an eternity for the doctor to come down and give you a report. When he comes down and says, "it is all right, you need not worry; things are going all right, they will come through", that is good news indeed. It has an edge on it, because your heart is bound up with this matter. If there is a great decision in the balances, which is going to affect your future, your career, your life, and a committee is setting on it, and you are waiting outside with your heart, as we say, in your mouth, feeling most anxious as to how it is going: when someone comes out and says, "All right, you have got the job, the appointment", that is good news. It brings to you an immense sense of relief. If there is a battle on, the issue of which will be serious for all concerned, and someone comes back from the scene of the fighting, and says, "It is going well, it is all right, we are going to get through!" - why, it is a tremendous relief. That is good tidings. It touches us, it means something to us. There has to be something in the nature of an emergency situation really to give point to good news.
The Emergency Situation at Colossae
Now, in the case of almost all Paul's letters, there was an emergency situation. Something had arisen in the nature of a threat to the Christian life of those with whom his heart was closely bound up; something had arisen which was causing many of those Christians real concern, worry and anxiety. They were in real difficulty; the future seemed to be in doubt. It was in order to meet such emergencies as these that Paul wrote his letters, and in them all he uses this word "gospel", or "good news" - good news for an emergency, good tidings for this critical situation.
In this letter to the Colossians it is peculiarly so. There was a real emergency on among the believers at Colossae. But it was the same emergency which takes different forms at different times - it is present today in its own form. What it amounted to was this: that there was certain people, considering themselves to be very knowledgeable, wise, intelligent, learned people, who had been dipping into a lot of mysterious stuff, and they were bringing their high-sounding ideas and theories to bear upon these Christians. It all had to do with the great magnitudes of life.
First of all, there was no less a matter in view than the very meaning of the created universe. Now that might be, of course, a realm for philosophical speculation; but you know that, in certain ways, that comes very near to the Christian heart. Is there a design for everything, or is everything either just taking a mechanical course, or being carried on by some mysterious powers which are inimical to human well-being? Is there any real design behind this created universe? To push that one step further: Is there a "purpose" in everything? Sooner or later, Christians come up against these questions. Under duress, trial, pressure and suffering, sometimes we do not know what to make of things. This seems to be a topsy-turvy universe, full of enigmas and contradictions and paradoxes, and we have a bad time over it. Is there a plain in it - is there really a Divine Providence for everything and in everything? - that is to say, is everything being made to work together according to design and purpose, and to work our toward a great, Divine, beneficent end?
Now, these people were arguing about that, and the Christians at Colossae were being greatly disturbed by it all.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 33)
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Two Things You Need to Know (...Actually Four)
Two Things You Need To Know (. . .Actually Four)
"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
—Matthew 10:7
There are two "secret weapons" that God has given the church which are rarely used today.
They are not whine and complain. Nor are they protest and boycott.
The two secret weapons God has given us are pray and preach.
First we need to pray. Pray for our country, pray for friends and neighbors who have not yet put their faith in Christ. Pray that they will see their need for Jesus.
That brings us to the second word: preach. Having prayed for them, now you must preach to them. When I say preach, I do not mean you have to raise your voice, but simply to communicate the gospel to them.
One final set of two: come and go.
These two words in the Bible show us what our focus as Christians should be. First we come to Christ and receive His forgiveness (see Revelation 22:17), then we are to go into all the world with the message of the gospel.
Pray and preach.
Come and go.
Those are your marching orders from Jesus Himself.
Let's get to it!
They are not whine and complain. Nor are they protest and boycott.
The two secret weapons God has given us are pray and preach.
First we need to pray. Pray for our country, pray for friends and neighbors who have not yet put their faith in Christ. Pray that they will see their need for Jesus.
That brings us to the second word: preach. Having prayed for them, now you must preach to them. When I say preach, I do not mean you have to raise your voice, but simply to communicate the gospel to them.
One final set of two: come and go.
These two words in the Bible show us what our focus as Christians should be. First we come to Christ and receive His forgiveness (see Revelation 22:17), then we are to go into all the world with the message of the gospel.
Pray and preach.
Come and go.
Those are your marching orders from Jesus Himself.
Let's get to it!
~Greg Laurie~
Monday, November 2, 2015
My Prayer for You All Today
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14)
The Gospel According to Paul # 31
In His Letter to the Colossians
As we come to this Letter to the Colossians, by way of laying a foundation we will read some verses from the matchless first chapter.
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks unto the Father, Who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love; in Whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation; for in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church: Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fullness dwell; and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His Cross; through Him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens" (Colossians 1:9-20).
Now, that forms quite a good foundation for speaking about the gospel, and do note that that is the gospel. All that is what Paul calls the "good news". It is the thing that Paul preached - "the gospel which I preach". In this letter, that word occurs not so many times as in other letters, but with a peculiar point. It occurs in this first chapter, verse five: "...because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the Word of the truth of the gospel"; and then in verse twenty-one: "...if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was" - and here is the same word in the verb form "preached in all creation under heaven" - "which was gospelled", "good newsed", in all creation under heaven."
Good Tidings In An Emergency Situation
Now, if anything is to be good news, or good tidings, if it is to have a really keen edge to it, there must be a situation for which it brings relief, assurance, comfort or gratification. If it does not matter, then it is not good news.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 32)
As we come to this Letter to the Colossians, by way of laying a foundation we will read some verses from the matchless first chapter.
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks unto the Father, Who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love; in Whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation; for in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body, the church: Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fullness dwell; and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His Cross; through Him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens" (Colossians 1:9-20).
Now, that forms quite a good foundation for speaking about the gospel, and do note that that is the gospel. All that is what Paul calls the "good news". It is the thing that Paul preached - "the gospel which I preach". In this letter, that word occurs not so many times as in other letters, but with a peculiar point. It occurs in this first chapter, verse five: "...because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the Word of the truth of the gospel"; and then in verse twenty-one: "...if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was" - and here is the same word in the verb form "preached in all creation under heaven" - "which was gospelled", "good newsed", in all creation under heaven."
Good Tidings In An Emergency Situation
Now, if anything is to be good news, or good tidings, if it is to have a really keen edge to it, there must be a situation for which it brings relief, assurance, comfort or gratification. If it does not matter, then it is not good news.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 32)
Gather Not My Soul With Sinners (and other devotionals)
Psalm 26:9
Gather not my soul with sinners.
Fear made David pray thus, for something whispered, "Perhaps, after all, thou mayst be gathered with the wicked." That fear, although marred by unbelief, springs, in the main, from holy anxiety, arising from the recollection of past sin. Even the pardoned man will inquire, "What if at the end my sins should be remembered, and I should be left out of the catalogue of the saved?" He recollects his present unfruitfulness-so little grace, so little love, so little holiness, and looking forward to the future, he considers his weakness and the many temptations which beset him, and he fears that he may fall, and become a prey to the enemy. A sense of sin and present evil, and his prevailing corruptions, compel him to pray, in fear and trembling, "Gather not my soul with sinners." Reader, if you have prayed this prayer, and if your character be rightly described in the Psalm from which it is taken, you need not be afraid that you shall be gathered with sinners. Have you the two virtues which David had-the outward walking in integrity, and the inward trusting in the Lord? Are you resting upon Christ's sacrifice, and can you compass the altar of God with humble hope? If so, rest assured, with the wicked you never shall be gathered, for that calamity is impossible. The gathering at the judgment is like to like. "Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." If, then, thou art like God's people, thou shalt be with God's people. You cannot be gathered with the wicked, for you are too dearly bought. Redeemed by the blood of Christ, you are His for ever, and where He is, there must His people be. You are loved too much to be cast away with reprobates. Shall one dear to Christ perish? Impossible! Hell cannot hold thee! Heaven claims thee! Trust in thy Surety and fear not!
~Charles Spurgeon~
___________________________
Psalm 149:2
Let Israel rejoice in him.
Be glad of heart, O believer, but take care that thy gladness has its spring in the Lord. Thou hast much cause for gladness in thy God, for thou canst sing with David, "God, my exceeding joy." Be glad that the Lord reigneth, that Jehovah is King! Rejoice that He sits upon the throne, and ruleth all things! Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness. That He is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness. That He is mighty, should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness. That he is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass. That He is unchanging, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour. That He is full of grace, that He is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant He has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory-all this should tend to make us glad in Him. This gladness in God is as a deep river; we have only as yet touched its brink, we know a little of its clear sweet, heavenly streams, but onward the depth is greater, and the current more impetuous in its joy. The Christian feels that he may delight himself not only in what God is, but also in all that God has done in the past. The Psalms show us that God's people in olden times were wont to think much of God's actions, and to have a song concerning each of them. So let God's people now rehearse the deeds of the Lord! Let them tell of His mighty acts, and "sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously." Nor let them ever cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them day by day, so should their gladness in the Lord's loving acts in providence and in grace show itself in continued thanksgiving. Be glad ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God.
~Charles Spurgeon~
_________________________
Psalm 61:2
When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is He, His mercy higher than our sins, His love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock He is since He changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at His feet; He is not disturbed by them, but rules them at His will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by Thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into Thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; Thou, Thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon Thee-we need Thee to bring us to Thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is Thy gift, and Thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with Thy servants.
~Charles Spurgeon~
__________________________
Deliverance from Dust and Chaff
"For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth" (Amos 9:9).
The sifting process is going on still. Wherever we go, we are still being winnowed and sifted. In all countries God's people are being tried "like as corn is sifted in a sieve." Sometimes the devil holds the sieve and tosses us up and down at a great rate, with the earnest desire to get rid of us forever.
Unbelief is not slow to agitate our heart and mind with its restless fears. The world lends a willing hand at the same process and shakes us to the right and to the left with great vigor. Worst of all, the church, so largely apostate as it is, comes in to give a more furious force to the sifting process. Well, well! Let it go on. Thus is the chaff severed from the wheat. Thus is the wheat delivered from dust and chaff.
And how great is the mercy which comes to us in the text, "Yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth"! All shall be preserved that is good, true, gracious. Not one of the least of believers lose anything worth calling a loss. We shall be so kept in the sifting that it shall be a real gain to us through Christ Jesus.
~Charles Spurgeon~
"For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth" (Amos 9:9).
The sifting process is going on still. Wherever we go, we are still being winnowed and sifted. In all countries God's people are being tried "like as corn is sifted in a sieve." Sometimes the devil holds the sieve and tosses us up and down at a great rate, with the earnest desire to get rid of us forever.
Unbelief is not slow to agitate our heart and mind with its restless fears. The world lends a willing hand at the same process and shakes us to the right and to the left with great vigor. Worst of all, the church, so largely apostate as it is, comes in to give a more furious force to the sifting process. Well, well! Let it go on. Thus is the chaff severed from the wheat. Thus is the wheat delivered from dust and chaff.
And how great is the mercy which comes to us in the text, "Yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth"! All shall be preserved that is good, true, gracious. Not one of the least of believers lose anything worth calling a loss. We shall be so kept in the sifting that it shall be a real gain to us through Christ Jesus.
~Charles Spurgeon~
Sunday, November 1, 2015
The Gospel According to Paul # 30
In His Letter to the Philippians (continued)
The Secret of the Triumph (continued)
How, then? Is there in this letter a key phrase? We have sought in our studies in these letters to together everything into some characteristic phrase from each. Is there such a phrase in this letter that gives us the key to it all, the key to entering ourselves into Christ's great victory and all the value of it? Can we find the key to open the door for us into the position that the Apostle occupied - that everything that this world can offer and that might be placed at our disposal is tawdry, is petty, is insignificant, in comparison with Christ? Is there a key which will open the door for us into what these Philippians had come into? I think there is, and I think you find it in the first chapter, in the first clause of verse twenty-one: "For to me to live is Christ". That is the good news of the all-captivating Christ. When Christ really captivates, everything happens and anything can happen. That is how it was with Paul and with these people. Christ had just captivated them. They had no other though in life than Christ. They may have had their businesses, their trades, their professions, their different walks of life and occupations in the world, but they had one all-dominating thought, concern and interest - Christ. Christ rested, for them, upon everything. There is no other word for it. He just captivated them.
And I see, dear friends, that that -simple as it may sound, explains everything. It explains Paul, it explains this church, it explains these believers, it explains their mutual love. It solved all their problems, cleared up all their difficulties. Oh, this is what we need! If only you and I were like this, if we really after all were captivated by Christ! I cannot convey that to you, but as I have looked at that truth - looked at it, read it, thought about it - I have felt something moved in me, something inexplicable. After all, nine-tenths of all our troubles can be traced to the fact that we have other personal interests influencing us, governing us and controlling us - other aspects of life than Christ. If only it could be true that Christ had captured and captivated and mastered us, and become - yes, I will use the word - an obsession, a glorious obsession! I think this is what the writer of the hymn meant when he wrote: "Jesus, Lover of my soul", and when further on he says: "More than all in Thee I find." When it is like that, we are filled with joy! There are no regrets at having to "give up" things. We are filled with joy, filled with victory. There is no spirit of defeatism at all. It is the joy of a great triumph. It is the triumph of Christ over the life. Yes, it has been, and because it has been, it can be again.
But this needs something more than just a kind of mental appraisement. We can so easily miss the point. We may admire the words, the ideas; we may fall to it as a beautiful presentation; but, oh, we need the captivating to wipe our our selves - our reputations, everything that ONE Who captivates may be the only ONE in view, the only ONE with a reputation, and we at His feet! This is the gospel, the good news - that when Christ really captivates, the kind of thing that is in this letter happens, it really happens. Shall we ask the Lord for that life captivation of His beloved Son?
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 31 - (In His Letter to the Colossians)
The Secret of the Triumph (continued)
How, then? Is there in this letter a key phrase? We have sought in our studies in these letters to together everything into some characteristic phrase from each. Is there such a phrase in this letter that gives us the key to it all, the key to entering ourselves into Christ's great victory and all the value of it? Can we find the key to open the door for us into the position that the Apostle occupied - that everything that this world can offer and that might be placed at our disposal is tawdry, is petty, is insignificant, in comparison with Christ? Is there a key which will open the door for us into what these Philippians had come into? I think there is, and I think you find it in the first chapter, in the first clause of verse twenty-one: "For to me to live is Christ". That is the good news of the all-captivating Christ. When Christ really captivates, everything happens and anything can happen. That is how it was with Paul and with these people. Christ had just captivated them. They had no other though in life than Christ. They may have had their businesses, their trades, their professions, their different walks of life and occupations in the world, but they had one all-dominating thought, concern and interest - Christ. Christ rested, for them, upon everything. There is no other word for it. He just captivated them.
And I see, dear friends, that that -simple as it may sound, explains everything. It explains Paul, it explains this church, it explains these believers, it explains their mutual love. It solved all their problems, cleared up all their difficulties. Oh, this is what we need! If only you and I were like this, if we really after all were captivated by Christ! I cannot convey that to you, but as I have looked at that truth - looked at it, read it, thought about it - I have felt something moved in me, something inexplicable. After all, nine-tenths of all our troubles can be traced to the fact that we have other personal interests influencing us, governing us and controlling us - other aspects of life than Christ. If only it could be true that Christ had captured and captivated and mastered us, and become - yes, I will use the word - an obsession, a glorious obsession! I think this is what the writer of the hymn meant when he wrote: "Jesus, Lover of my soul", and when further on he says: "More than all in Thee I find." When it is like that, we are filled with joy! There are no regrets at having to "give up" things. We are filled with joy, filled with victory. There is no spirit of defeatism at all. It is the joy of a great triumph. It is the triumph of Christ over the life. Yes, it has been, and because it has been, it can be again.
But this needs something more than just a kind of mental appraisement. We can so easily miss the point. We may admire the words, the ideas; we may fall to it as a beautiful presentation; but, oh, we need the captivating to wipe our our selves - our reputations, everything that ONE Who captivates may be the only ONE in view, the only ONE with a reputation, and we at His feet! This is the gospel, the good news - that when Christ really captivates, the kind of thing that is in this letter happens, it really happens. Shall we ask the Lord for that life captivation of His beloved Son?
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 31 - (In His Letter to the Colossians)
Tribulation In Christ
Tribulation in Christ
I, John, your brother and companion (sharer and participator) with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance [which are] in Jesus Christ, was on the isle called Patmos, [banished] on account of [my witnessing to] the Word of God and the testimony (the proof, the evidence) for Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:9, The Amplified Bible
Followers of Jesus travel along paths of inevitable tribulation (trouble). As citizens of God’s kingdom, our life in Christ invites trials. Jesus is very clear, “in Him we will suffer persecution.” Nominal “Christians” who embrace the world are not a threat to the world. But those who are ruled by Christ will rule with Christ—not just later, but now. Righteous rulers are cause for the unrighteous to be uncomfortable. Adversaries of Jesus seek to discredit His followers. Jesus suffered unjust accusations, we can expect the same. Tribulations test our faithfulness.
John writes as a fellow partaker of suffering for Christ’s sake. He had matured beyond his early days of seeking Kingdom power for selfish motives to submission to King Jesus as a spirit filled servant of the Lord. Exiled by his persecutors to isolation and virtual martyrdom, he remained true to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Since by faith he sided with his Savior—John had all he needed at his side. The best adversity is an adversity not wasted on fear.
“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14).
What blessings are behind your tribulation? Perhaps unfair allegations are softening your family’s hearts—drawing them closer to each other and closer to Christ. Persecution flushes out false faith and validates genuine trust. Because of your bold belief in Jesus, you may be labeled narrow minded—even bigoted, but you know in your heart God’s love motivates you. Integrity may cost you; if so—remain humble—knowing you suffer reproach for the sake of the gospel. Christ followers are partakers of Christ’s suffering. Blessings come when we suffer for His sake.
How can we patiently endure tribulation as active citizens in God’s kingdom? One way is to support fellow followers of Jesus who have been exiled for their faith. We become a refuge of help, healing and hope. Soldiers of the faith need our assistance when they are wounded by the world. Moreover, during persecution we stay faithful to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ—His death for our sin and His resurrection over death. Persecution is our chance as true believers to overcome untruths by our love. A reality: a life in Christ experiences tribulation.
“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (2 Thessalonians 1:5).
Prayer: Heavenly Father use tribulation in my life to grow my trust in You.
Application: How can I patiently endure trials? Who suffers persecution that I can help?
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
Followers of Jesus travel along paths of inevitable tribulation (trouble). As citizens of God’s kingdom, our life in Christ invites trials. Jesus is very clear, “in Him we will suffer persecution.” Nominal “Christians” who embrace the world are not a threat to the world. But those who are ruled by Christ will rule with Christ—not just later, but now. Righteous rulers are cause for the unrighteous to be uncomfortable. Adversaries of Jesus seek to discredit His followers. Jesus suffered unjust accusations, we can expect the same. Tribulations test our faithfulness.
John writes as a fellow partaker of suffering for Christ’s sake. He had matured beyond his early days of seeking Kingdom power for selfish motives to submission to King Jesus as a spirit filled servant of the Lord. Exiled by his persecutors to isolation and virtual martyrdom, he remained true to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Since by faith he sided with his Savior—John had all he needed at his side. The best adversity is an adversity not wasted on fear.
“If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14).
What blessings are behind your tribulation? Perhaps unfair allegations are softening your family’s hearts—drawing them closer to each other and closer to Christ. Persecution flushes out false faith and validates genuine trust. Because of your bold belief in Jesus, you may be labeled narrow minded—even bigoted, but you know in your heart God’s love motivates you. Integrity may cost you; if so—remain humble—knowing you suffer reproach for the sake of the gospel. Christ followers are partakers of Christ’s suffering. Blessings come when we suffer for His sake.
How can we patiently endure tribulation as active citizens in God’s kingdom? One way is to support fellow followers of Jesus who have been exiled for their faith. We become a refuge of help, healing and hope. Soldiers of the faith need our assistance when they are wounded by the world. Moreover, during persecution we stay faithful to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ—His death for our sin and His resurrection over death. Persecution is our chance as true believers to overcome untruths by our love. A reality: a life in Christ experiences tribulation.
“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (2 Thessalonians 1:5).
Prayer: Heavenly Father use tribulation in my life to grow my trust in You.
Application: How can I patiently endure trials? Who suffers persecution that I can help?
~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~
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