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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, June 17, 2017
Today's Passage : Today's Passage: Subject: Crime and Punishment Bible Verse:1 Peter 4:15-19 (ESV) "But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." Message:
In today’s passage, Peter sums up a great lesson he has developed throughout the first four chapters of his epistle. Christians will sometimes suffer punishment from the societies in which they live. The degree of suffering varies widely; from great punishments such as being tortured and murdered, to the tiniest insult, of being called stupid or simply not being included in a group. We must expect such suffering and be ready to meet it.
W
hat we must not expect is to be punished for committing civil crimes, such as theft. Except where something directly conflicts with our profession of belief, we must respect the government. Christ himself told us to pay our taxes, for instance. And this does not just apply to crimes, but also to unnecessary activities that anger others outside the church.
There is one law we must certainly not obey, for at that time, it was often against the law to worship Jesus Christ, and the penalty was sometimes death. In such cases, we must endure our suffering as Christ endured his, and as Peter would eventually endure his own.
It is not likely that we will be called upon to demonstrate our faith by suffering arrest, imprisonment, exile or death. But the very lack of a great threat can make us spiritually flabby. A Christian in Rome in the first centuries A.D. would hardly have noticed if somebody called him an “idiot” or “moron.” His faith was muscular; it had to be, to meet the threats of the time. But a Christian today would probably be agitated by such an insult; he might lose sleep and would find it hard to be gentle in his response.
Freedom of worship makes us complacent; how to avoid this? Like an athlete who must stay in shape in the off-season, we must exercise. We must “work out” our faith by reading and prayer every day, to be strong enough to meet whatever suffering might come our way. We must stay prepared. The hour is always at hand.
Meditation : [When am I most likely to forget God?] Prayer : O good shepherd, seek me out, and bring me home to your fold again. Deal favourably with me according to your good pleasure, until I may dwell in your house all the days of my life, and praise you forever and ever with them that are there.. Amen |
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