The Joy of Abiding

Paul told us to count trials as a joyous occasion, but he did not say to be happy that we are suffering (James 1:2-8). When we patiently submit to God’s will in our trials, however, and allow Him to replace our negative human characteristics with the fruit of His Spirit, then we see His intended outcome from our trials (1 Thessalonians 5:18). When we abide in the shelter of God’s wings, we rejoice in the Lord’s perfecting work in our life (Psalm 91:4; Philippians 4:4).

As we rejoice in the Lord, we will not stress about the problems, or strain over the issues we face. We will remain in the peace of God, which transcends all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). Our absorption in the joy of the Lord will eradicate much of the suffering of our trials. We actually grow closer to God through each test, because He sustains us through them all and increases our compassion for fellow sufferers.

Trials draw us closer to the triune God within us. We count it all joy to be worthy to be included in the ranks of those who suffer for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. Like Paul and Silas, we will sing God’s praises through them (Acts 16:16-40). The God of creation, the God of salvation, the God of eternity dwells within our spirit and affects our righteousness, peace and joy as we abide in Him through our suffering (Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:25).

When we see God’s hand of salvation through our trials, we gain more trust in His faithfulness and love. As we spend time alone with God, we start to listen to His still, small voice and walk in His Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 1 Kings 19:11-13). This reduces the number of lessons, which we have to learn the hard way. The more we learn from each particular trial, the fewer trials we will have to endure in the future. We learn to abide in our tower of strength, our Rock and our refuge, especially in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Prayer:

Father God, if we look anywhere but to You in times of trouble, we will end up completely disappointed. If we trust in our own resources in times of difficulty, we are doomed to discontentment and despair. It often takes You longer to deliver us from the negative circumstances in our life than we expect or desire; however, the closer we walk with You through them, the quicker we learn our lessons, the sooner Your work is done in our soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions – and the closer we grow in our union with You. Thank You for being our God in the valleys, as well as on the mountaintop (Psalm 23).

Thought for the Day:

It is so much better to trust in the Lord than to put our confidence in people, places and things. - Micah 7:5; Psalm 118:5,8

 

 

When You Try Your Best

Read: 1 Peter 2: 22-25

“For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." – Romans 15:3

Have you ever gone out of your way and invested your time to help someone, only to have them turn your efforts into accusations against you? You give them your best, you go the extra mile, you bend over backwards to help them, and then it blows up in your face. If you did something wrong or from the wrong motive, you could take responsibility for it and apologize. But, when no unwholesome word came out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need (Ephesians 4:29), and you are misunderstood, then there is no justice in their behavior towards you.

You can take courage and solace, however, in the fact that you are in good company (Matthew 27:39). Jesus was falsely accused, scourged, spit upon, kicked, forced to carry a heavy cross in his weakened physical state and hung by nails upon a cross until He died (Isaiah 53:7). He did not deserve this treatment. He did nothing to earn it by His behavior. Yet, He was bruised and abused for His goodness and kindness to everyone He met (1 Peter 2: 22-25).

In Matthew 5:44-46, Jesus tells us how to relate to people in this type of situation,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemy and  pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like  your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors  do the same, don’t they?”

There is a higher calling for Christians. When we are falsely accused, unjustly blamed and misunderstood, we do not need to adopt a negative attitude or to strike back against the person(s) who berated us. Paul commanded that the Thessalonians (5:15) make sure that nobody paid back wrong for wrong, and he encouraged them to always try to be kind to each other in the Body of Christ, as well as to everyone else around them. Paul admonished the Romans (12:17), not to repay anyone evil for evil, but to be careful to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

We can, however, take a step back from the friendship or relationship in order to prevent any further misunderstandings and abuse. We do not need to repay insult with insult, but simply explain our actions and share our feelings calmly and without accusation.  We can bless those who accuse us, because we are called to take the higher ground. If we do, we will receive God’s blessing (1 Peter 3:9).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us not to pay back a wrong done to us, but to wait for You to deliver us instead (Proverbs 20:22). Help us to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:28). Help us to work hard to help others; but when we are cursed, help us to bless; and when we are persecuted, help us to endure it (1 Corinthians 4:12).

Thought for the Day:

The real tests of courage is to remain loyal, even when we are falsely accused; to endure hardships, even when no one notices; and to stand alone, even when we are misunderstood.