Suffering for Christ

1 Peter 4:1-6English Standard Version (ESV)

4 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+Peter+4%3A+1-+6&version=ESV)

This scripture passage rings true with me today.  I have never suffered a physical death like Jesus but I have experienced emotional suffering.  Even as a high school student, I felt that I did not really “fit in” to the crowd.  My mother used to tell me that these friends that would only be my friend if you did what they wanted, were not true friends at all.  How true that is, and the scripture is clear that we should not give in to their foolish ways of men. If we have joy in the midst of trials they just say we are fake, if we hold we cry they say we are weak, and if we defend ourselves they mock us.  What then do we do to bring glory and honor to God.  Christ experienced all of that while suffering on the cross for our sins, something I cannot fathom but know is true.  Why then, it is so hard to go through ourselves?  Why then do I feel inadequate if things are not going as I would want them to go?  How do I cloth myself in the righteousness of Christ and live my life the way that He would want me to live it?  How can I be happy once again?  Do you ever have those questions?  Well, I only have one answer to those questions and that is to seek Him with all your heart.  I have found that is the only way that I can make it through, one day at a time.  Stand firm in your faith, do not let others destroy it.  We are human, God gave us emotions, tears, and fears so that we would lean on Him.  So, if you are suffering lean on Christ and do not let others destroy your faith in Him.  Do not let others bring you to their low point but rather rise above it through faith in Christ.

As a child I remember an evangelist coming to our church and saying if people with guns came in right now and lined you up against the wall and said they would shoot you if you did not deny Christ, would you die?  That has stuck with me all those years.  Often times I look at that wall and wonder.  I want to say, yes, I would die for Christ but until that day comes I can only hope that I would.  Yet, I need to die to self and I need to know what is self and what is God.  I need to live a life that allows me to see Christ in all things, live fully for Him, and walk in His ways.

As we seek Him today, we must know that His will is for us to love Him more deeply, trust Him more fully, and love others while doing so.  When I am hurt I can come across as being insensitive, unkind, standoffish, help me, Father, to be loving, kind, gentle, forgiving especially when I suffer for your names sake.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Wrongly Accused

1 Peter 3:7-22English Standard Version (ESV)

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you[a] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For

“Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;

11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

18 For Christ also suffered[b] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which[c] he went and proclaimed[d] to the spirits in prison, 20 because[e] they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+Peter+3%3A7-22&version=ESV)

Do you ever wonder why God puts such an emphasis on unity?   Why He based five of His ten commandments on getting along with others?  It has been very evident to me over the past month.  In the last post I spoke of how we as wives need to treat and respect our husbands.  I am not an authority on telling husbands how they should treat their wives, however, the Bible is.  The first words of today’s scripture is “likewise”.  It all ties together, how we treat those in authority, how we are treated by those in authority, how we respond to false or clouded judgments all relates to how Christ did.

All of this getting along will support us when times get tough.  Can you imagine how Jesus would have felt if His friends would have simply stayed awake and prayed with Him?  I know that I feel so much better when I know that friends are praying for me when trials and tribulations come my way.  It is one thing for people to say they are praying for you and another to actually hear that prayer, hear their encouragement and know that they are not judging you in anyway but merely loving you.

It has become more and more evident to me that even when we do right or try to do right, there will be those who will find fault in us.  There will be those who believe we are evil because they are evil.  By evil, I mean they do not know The Lord their God and are direct enemies of the cross.  How do we combat this evil?  The Bible tells us to not repay evil with evil.  Yes, we have a right to be heard, to stand our ground but we need to revert back to what the scripture says, we need to do it with gentleness and self-control.

When we stop and look at how Jesus tried to handle the torment that He was about to endure and that He endured, we see that He first turned to God and He also asked His friends for their support.  He then faced the accuser, giving no defensive for His alleged crime except by answering the questions with, “it is as you say”.  Jesus could have gone in and pointed out how He was wrongly accused and could have given a defense for His greatness.  He had helped so many people and could have pointed out that these men were just jealous and self-righteous.  He let them destroy Him and then He defeated them through His resurrection power.

This may at first appear to some as a sign of great weakness but in actuality it is a sign of great power.  We can have that power through the blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection, if only we would trust fully in Him.  As I write today, I struggle with life, with people, with being wrongly accused but I know, in my head, that I have the power to overcome through the One that overcame.  Maybe you feel much the same as I do or maybe life has given you much pleasure, whichever it may be, know that God is in control and He has things wrapped up in the palm of His hand.  Seek Him and know that He is God.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Honoring my Husband

1 Peter 3:1-6English Standard Version (ESV)

3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+Peter+3%3A+1+-+6&version=ESV)

Every time I read this scripture, I see the utter failure that I have been as a woman of God.  Then, I look at the example that is given of a woman of God and realize that she had her own set of problems too.  Sarah did not fully put her trust in the Lord but tried to fix matters on her own.  Her mistake in giving her husband to another woman in order that he could live out his legacy has affected all of us, even today.  The wars and turmoil of the Middle East, stem from the offspring of Abraham and Sarah’s maidservant.  Sarah did not always have a quiet, gentle spirit.  She took matters into her own hands and caused a lot of ruckus.  When things did not go her way, she simply sent her maidservant and son on their way.  Yet, she remained faithful to Abraham and to God. 

As wives, we need to honor our husbands.  Sarah, in her own way, tried to do this by sacrificing her will to help her husband, the only way she knew how, through another woman.  I am not keen on that idea at all but she loved him so much, she wanted what she thought was best for him.  I too, need to look at what is best for my husband, but need to also remember to put God in the driver’s seat not myself. 

I am so blessed to have a loving and forgiving husband.  He stands beside me and holds me up when I am down.  He likes it much better though when I am cheerful and happy!  As I seek the Lord today and the direction He has in my life, I have to thank Him for giving me a husband that not only loves me but loves my Father in Heaven.  Father, help me honor you by honoring my husband.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Reactions to Adversity

1 Peter 2:13-25English Standard Version (ESV)

13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,[a] whether it be to the emperor[b] as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants[c] of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A13-25&version=ESV)

There is so much I want to write on this subject but I keep deleting it all.  I want to reveal my deepest secrets but I don’t know that they are worth sharing or even appropriate to share.  I have subjected to authority when I disagreed with their direction because I have felt that God has placed me in settings in order to bring Him glory.  When I am attacked in that setting I am hurt and distraught because I feel that I have not done my part as a Christian, I have not given God the glory and honor that He deserves.

At this moment I am suffering. I am trusting that God will help me through it and allow me to be the witness that I need to be in order to bring glory to God.  How I handle this is something to be seen but at this time I am asking for prayers that my pain will be no more and that I can be the woman that God created me to be.  Let us all seek Him with all our hearts.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila