Be Prepared, it will come

    

I Peter 4:1-2, 12-19

Suffering for Christ can deepen our walk with Him.

The first time I read through this passage, I felt discouraged, thinking about suffering.  There is a certain kind of fear that lingers on the edge of my mind when I consider suffering.  So I read the passage again, actually several more times, trying to grapple with that sense of doom that was trying to discourage me. 

I noticed that there are several things the Christian believer is told to do in order to prepare for the time when some kind of suffering will come.  As we prepare ourselves, our walk with God deepens.  Being prepared is what will carry us through those dark times of suffering, no matter what form the suffering may take.  Recognizing that there are things I can do to handle my suffering better gives me a renewed sense of power for facing whatever may come in my future.

How does a Christian prepare herself for that inevitable suffering?  We have all had suffering of one kind or another in our lives, and will no doubt have it again, so we may as well prepare, right?  I found several things I can do to be better prepared for the next time:

     1. Arm myself mentally (v.1).  That is the first step… let God help me see/understand the circumstances I face from His point of view.   

     2. Don’t be taken by surprise (v.12).  Remember that God allows suffering for a good reason, and He will help you through it because He wants you to become stronger in your faith and walk.

     3. Change your way of thinking about suffering (v. 13).  Instead of bemoaning your situation, ask God to help you see His hand at work.  When you do that, you will remember that God will be helping you face the situation.

     4. Think ahead (v.13).  Do what a runner does and think ahead to the goal you have and the reward if you succeed in your quest.  Our goal is the presence of God in our lives now and heaven in our future.  No matter what suffering we may have, the end result will be the same … eternal joy in heaven.

     5.  Do not be ashamed to trust God in your suffering (v.16).  Verses 15-19 remind me that everyone suffers, but I have no suffering compared to someone who does not know the Lord.  How many times have you (as I have) said, “I don’t know how someone could handle this if they couldn’t trust God”?  That is the principle at work in these verses.

    6. Let yourself continue to grow stronger in your faith (v.19).  Do not allow your suffering or your insecurity about handling your suffering deter you from trusting God. That will speak volumes to those outside the faith, or who are weak in their faith, as they observe how you handle your suffering.

Enduring hope

I Peter 3:8-17

What is it that keeps our HOPE alive through troubled times, or times of suffering and gets us through them? This passage from First Peter lists characteristics God looks for and wants to develop in us as His children: 1) be like-minded, i.e., unified; 2) be sympathetic; 3) be loving; 4) be compassionate; 5) be humble; 6) be forgiving.

This isn't all I found.  Here is the rest of my list.  

   7.   be a blessing (v.9)

   8.   be godly in how you speak (v.10)

   9.   be Christ-like in your actions (v.11)

   10. be peace-loving and peace-creating (v.11)

   11. be fearless (v.14)

   12. be holy (v.15)

   13. be ready to be a good witness to others (v.15)

   14. be gentle (v.16)

   15. be respectful (v.16)

That is quite a list, isn’t it?  I know I have not conquered this list yet.  God still has a lot to do in me to develop my HOPE but my goal is to allow God to help me continue to develop these characteristics in my life.  By doing so, God is preparing me to endure whatever comes even if that means suffering in some way.

Goaded

Ecclesiastes 12:11

The words of the wise are like goads …

When I first read this, my reaction was negative because when I think of “goads” I think of a cattle prod, something uncomfortable or even painful.  I looked up “goad” in the dictionary and as happens so often, I gained new understanding of the meaning of this verse by doing so!  “Goad” is indeed a prod, such as an electrified pole that pushes cattle along.  The other meaning of the word is “an encouragement or a stimulus,” and that puts a whole new layer of meaning to this verse.  The words of a wise person should be stimulating the hearers, encouraging them to do the right thing, to make wise decisions.  At times that might mean speaking uncomfortable things to them.  When I speak wisely, my goal should be to gently but firmly force the thinking and action of the hearer towards godly thinking and doing.  When I do that, I will be goading them along the path of righteousness.

When I read this in my devotions this week, I immediately thought of the Sunday School lesson I was studying for the week from I Peter 2:4-15.  There are goads that God uses in our lives to push us along toward spiritual growth, gently prodding us along. 

            v.5 = be a living stone, built to be a holy priesthood

            v.5 = offer acceptable sacrifices

            v.6 = believe in Him

            v.6 = never be put to shame

            v.7 = receive honor

            

I Peter 2:11-16 gives us the goads we use to point others to Christ, ways we can prod them along the path of righteousness. 

         v.11 = live pure lives

         v.12 = conduct yourself honorably

         v.13 = be submission to authority, wherever it is

         v.14 = do not abuse your freedom 

 

I need God’s goading to push me along into a deeper walk with Him and at the same time I want God to use me to prod others!

My A.U.G. degree

A few weeks ago I did a presentation at my regular Bible study group at a local assisted living facility to which those who attended had an exceptionally good response.  So good, in fact, that several times since then they have asked me to write it out for them to share with their families!  Although that response is gratifying to me, I am humbled that such a simple presentation as I gave that day had such a big impact on them!  I think it inspired them to think about the value of the Word of God to our everyday lives.

This week I sat down and wrote out a simplified version of what I said in my presentation.  I'll make some copies to take to them this coming Sunday afternoon when I go for my next Bible study with them, but I decided to put my newly-written, as yet unedited, version here on my blog as well.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR A.U.G. DEGREE?

By Jo Ann Rhodes

II Timothy 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to   

     be ashamed   (New International Version)

(The King James Version puts it this way: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a

     workman that needeth not to be ashamed)

This verse tells us about a graduation of sorts.  Just what is “graduation?”  We usually think of it mainly in terms of completion of a course of study, but it can also apply to any situation in which we are ready to move on to a new level of life or experience, whether it is school or work-related.  In either case, it is a matter of being ready to move on to the next level.

What are the requirements of graduation, as for graduating from high school?  According to the state Department of Education, two main requirements are: 1) completing certain courses of study, and 2) passing an examination that proves that you have adequately learned the lessons you have studied.

There are several ways in which this study and graduation are very similar to our spiritual lives as well.  Our entire life is our course of study for our “graduation” to the “next level” of life, our eternal destiny, heaven for those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ as their Savior.  As God’s children, we are working on our A.U.G. degree!  2 Timothy 2:15 tells us we are to study to show ourselves “APPROVED UNTO GOD.”

The word “study” in this verse means to “do your best”, “be diligent.”  Note that this verse does not say that we are to study in order to be approved by God!  It is not the studying that gives us salvation.  “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:5)  No, our studying is living a life that honors God.  Our course of study for our graduation to heaven is our life experiences.   Each time we have an experience where we learn another step in loving God or trusting Him, or entrusting our lives and concerns into His hands, it’s like taking another course in that subject.

What are the courses that are requirements for graduation?  Here again, we see a beautiful parallel between studying for graduation from high school and our spiritual study in preparation for what lies beyond this life on earth.  We can learn some valuable lessons for our spiritual “study” by looking at the course requirements from the Department of Education.

ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS

By studying God’s literature (the Bible), we learn what pleases God and that in turn equips us for living our lives in a way that pleases God.

     All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and

     training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for

     every good work. ~ I Tim.3:16-17

      

MATHEMATICS

God uses this short life on earth to help us prepare for eternity.

     Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12   

 SCIENCE

 God, who created the vast universe as well as this earth and all of us, loves us as

 individuals and cares for us, and provided a way of salvation from our sins.

     When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which

     you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings

    that you care for them? ~ Psalm 8:3-4

 

HISTORY

God never changes so what we learn of Him from the Bible, which was written hundreds of years ago, is still true today.  

     Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8

ECONOMICS

The most important thing we do during our lives on earth is to put into our heavenly savings account by remembering that our most important investments are spiritual investments.

     Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, 

     and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

    where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.    

    For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matt. 6:19-21

             

GOVERNMENT/CIVICS

It is our responsibility to support our authorities in prayer and honesty, whether or not we agree with them.

     I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and           thanksgiving be made

     for all people—  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and

     quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior.

     ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2

     Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. ~ Matt. 22:21

   

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

     Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in

     such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict

     training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that

     will last forever. ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

     Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let            us throw off 

     everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with  

     perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. ~ Heb. 12:1-2

We are to study, i.e., do our best, be diligent, and work hard to learn what God wants us to learn during our lifetime.  2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that if we do that, when we “graduate” and stand before God we will not be ashamed.  We will not be ashamed because we will have trusted in Jesus for our forgiveness of sin and our salvation, and we will not be ashamed because we will have studied our courses diligently so God could teach us during our time here on earth.   We will have our A.U.G. degree!