1 Peter 2:19-21 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongly. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it: ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps.
Yes my Friends, the Christian walk sure isn’t easy. To walk totally in our Saviour’s footsteps is impossible for mortal beings, since we don’t have His Godly parts, but we’re still expected to bear suffering bravely. Jesus said that if we’re slapped on one cheek, we should offer the other one too. Even forgiving seventy times seven is not enough. We ought to forgive all the time. If somebody steals our stuff, offer them more. Love your enemies, treat them well. Oh People, these are difficult things, foreign to human nature, but Jesus did them willingly for our sake, and if we’re to be His followers, we must give it our best effort. We’re to obey those in authority, even the harsh, unfair ones. ‘For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering wrongly.’ It’s tough, but Jesus expects it. All of the Apostles and early Christians suffered some kind of injustice because of their faith. In fact, from the birth of Christianity, till today, believers have been persecuted for simply being Christians. Many have gone the full mile, giving their very lives. It’s their sacrifices that enabled the Church to grow and the Word to spread and stay alive until our time. It’s now our duty to ensure that the Church keeps on growing and the Word spreading to all ends of the earth, as Jesus asked. It’s comparatively easy to pay the price when you’ve done wrong. As Peter asks, ‘For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?’ None really. We should all be able to stand our own bounce. But People, it sure is tough, unfair and unjust, when you’ve got to pay for things you didn’t do. But look at it from Jesus’ point of view nuh Friends. He died that tragic death on the cross to wash away our sins. He, ‘who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.’ (1 Pet.22:22) To make matters worse, He wasn’t really given a choice. His Father said go and do it, and He did. Do you think He even wanted to die, much less so violently? Certainly not! Even the night before, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the emotional pain and anguish assaulted Him, He pleaded for mercy, but the Father denied His request. ‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.’ (Is.53:10) Yes Friends, and in possibly the greatest moment of obedience in mankind’s existence, He accepted His tragic fate, the role He was born to play, and penitently said, ‘Not my will, but thine.’ That’s how we are to be also people; obedient and accepting of our fate under the Lord’s guidance. He won’t lead us astray or cause us to come to unnecessary harm, but He certainly expects us to take the buffets and blows the cruel world meets out, with more equanimity than the ordinary unbeliever. Rest assured that there’s always a good reason for the things He allows in our lives, both good and bad. That’s why we’ve been given the Holy Spirit; to provide us with some belly and backbone, so we don’t whimper, cry and complain over every little injustice or setback we suffer. The world’s not fair. Jesus learned that the hard way; so must we. Life won’t always be rough, but as Job famously noted to his dissident wife, we can’t expect only good from God and no bad; there must be some balance. It’s just that when we do experience the hard times, the unfair breaks, the obvious injustice, we learn to stand strong; fight them as best we can, but if they do overwhelm us, then we surrender, and say to Him with humble grace, ‘Not my will Lord, but thine.’ Much LOVE!…it’s not for us to reason why…just to bear up valiantly…under the vicissitudes of life…
Yes my Friends, the Christian walk sure isn’t easy. To walk totally in our Saviour’s footsteps is impossible for mortal beings, since we don’t have His Godly parts, but we’re still expected to bear suffering bravely. Jesus said that if we’re slapped on one cheek, we should offer the other one too. Even forgiving seventy times seven is not enough. We ought to forgive all the time. If somebody steals our stuff, offer them more. Love your enemies, treat them well. Oh People, these are difficult things, foreign to human nature, but Jesus did them willingly for our sake, and if we’re to be His followers, we must give it our best effort. We’re to obey those in authority, even the harsh, unfair ones. ‘For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering wrongly.’ It’s tough, but Jesus expects it. All of the Apostles and early Christians suffered some kind of injustice because of their faith. In fact, from the birth of Christianity, till today, believers have been persecuted for simply being Christians. Many have gone the full mile, giving their very lives. It’s their sacrifices that enabled the Church to grow and the Word to spread and stay alive until our time. It’s now our duty to ensure that the Church keeps on growing and the Word spreading to all ends of the earth, as Jesus asked. It’s comparatively easy to pay the price when you’ve done wrong. As Peter asks, ‘For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?’ None really. We should all be able to stand our own bounce. But People, it sure is tough, unfair and unjust, when you’ve got to pay for things you didn’t do. But look at it from Jesus’ point of view nuh Friends. He died that tragic death on the cross to wash away our sins. He, ‘who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.’ (1 Pet.22:22) To make matters worse, He wasn’t really given a choice. His Father said go and do it, and He did. Do you think He even wanted to die, much less so violently? Certainly not! Even the night before, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the emotional pain and anguish assaulted Him, He pleaded for mercy, but the Father denied His request. ‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.’ (Is.53:10) Yes Friends, and in possibly the greatest moment of obedience in mankind’s existence, He accepted His tragic fate, the role He was born to play, and penitently said, ‘Not my will, but thine.’ That’s how we are to be also people; obedient and accepting of our fate under the Lord’s guidance. He won’t lead us astray or cause us to come to unnecessary harm, but He certainly expects us to take the buffets and blows the cruel world meets out, with more equanimity than the ordinary unbeliever. Rest assured that there’s always a good reason for the things He allows in our lives, both good and bad. That’s why we’ve been given the Holy Spirit; to provide us with some belly and backbone, so we don’t whimper, cry and complain over every little injustice or setback we suffer. The world’s not fair. Jesus learned that the hard way; so must we. Life won’t always be rough, but as Job famously noted to his dissident wife, we can’t expect only good from God and no bad; there must be some balance. It’s just that when we do experience the hard times, the unfair breaks, the obvious injustice, we learn to stand strong; fight them as best we can, but if they do overwhelm us, then we surrender, and say to Him with humble grace, ‘Not my will Lord, but thine.’ Much LOVE!…it’s not for us to reason why…just to bear up valiantly…under the vicissitudes of life…
SCRIP-BITS 