Daily Bread 10-30-18
1 Peter 4:16,17
16. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
ref. - Lk 23:31 - For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
Lk 10:12 - But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
Praise God for his great and peaceful consolation! He gives us exactly what we need, when we need it, to continue on in his ways. Even though the world and it's people will persecute and mock and mimic, we must keep on moving forward in Christ. In this scripture Peter is trying to get us to recognize that if we are persecuted because of our faith in him(if it is in line with his Gospel) it is a sign to show us that we re actually letting Jesus Christ rule in our lives. Just as he was rejected from the world, so will we be rejected. But also, just as he was exalted one day, when his time came to leave this world, so will we be exalted. Too many people today are not looking "past the end of their noses" and seeing the big picture. Serving God has become about popularity, acceptance, self gain, authority, power, etc. And let us think about this; If what we are doing, what we are saying, and how we are living is pleasing to the eyes of the non-believer, then we better recheck our salvations and figure out who our savior is. The world is going to go into everlasting punishment one day. Our calling and our purpose is to represent a gospel that will keep us from that very judgment. The verse today says that judgment is come unto those who believe(the Church). Each day we face judgment and we either are found filled or wanting. If God is chastising us, the ones who are trying to do our best to live for him, what do we think that he will do to our oppressors? What we need to realize is that the God we serve will clean us up and sharpen us until the day that he takes us home. To those who don't follow him, they will be cast into a lake of fire, not knowing the goodness and mercy that comes in eternal life through Jesus Christ. Let us let him take care of those who do not believe and those who fight against us. Let us rise up in Jesus name and not run from our enemy, but bless(pray for) them and let us not grow weary in well doing. Let us remain steadfast and true to the gospel that we have been given. For one day, as the world burns and its inhabitants perish, we will be led into the mountains and received up as the children of God!! Have a great day!!!