Another day of grace...

 ...I’m not going to post today due to multiple other things going on and I realized that if I skip today we’ll get on a Monday-Friday schedule for our remaining weeks.  I hope you’ll take this time and review what we’ve covered and I would really LOVE it if you would send me some comments on what you’re thinking and what you’ve learned about handling difficult times so far in this study.  You can either use the comment section here on the blog, or if you have any trouble with that, please please please email me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.  I would so love to hear from each of you!!!

Please continue to keep Robert in prayer as he battles IPF and currently the added problem of thrush.  It is being very stubborn in leaving and is really making him uncomfortable!  

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Three - Observation 5 and Wrap Up

Sorry for the day off yesterday, but there was just a lot going on.  Robert and I went to the doctor and then came home to wait for delivery of IV set up.  We are so fortunate to live in a time with so many options.  With the COVID restrictions ongoing in the hospital, Robert really did not want to be admitted and be by himself for IV therapy, but having IV therapy come to us at home - well that sure sounded better!  And with the wonderful home health and palliative care support that we have, it all comes together!  Now I will have to say that with home care, your home starts to look a little more like a medical clinic, but small price to pay!  Please pray with us that these three days of infused antifungal medication will rid Robert of the thrush that is so prevalent in his mouth and throat, and with the resolution of the thrush that his voice will return!

This week has been a little tough as we've tried to answer the question, Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?  I think we would rather like to think that pain and suffering are natural byproducts of this fallen world we live in, which they are, but this week we have seen that God is definitely involved in how they are used in our lives and to what purposes.  Does it bother you to know that God not only allows, but sometimes brings hard times to us?  Have we figured out why He does that?  Let's look at today's observation and then spend some time wrapping up our thoughts around this difficult concept.

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION

Psalm 66:8-12 "Praise our God, you peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard.  He keeps us alive and does not allow our feet to slip.  For You, God, tested us; You refined us as silver is refined.  You lured us into a trap; You placed burdens on our backs.  You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us out into abundance."  

 

                                            

Well if we wanted a Scripture to confirm that God is, in fact, the One behind some of our times of troubles and hardships, here it is.  In my Bible, this chapter's heading is "Praise for God's Mighty Acts."  We have to surmise then that some of God's mighty acts are things that, when we're going through them, don't seem that wonderful - but they are mighty, all the same.

But let's start out where the passage starts out - praising God!  Praising God, why?  Because He keeps us alive and doesn't let our feet slip.  We're here, aren't we?  We're breathing, living, and, since we're spending time in this study that is intended to grow us in our faith, we are still seeking God.  We are here - seeking to know Him better, our feet haven't slipped.  Or as John Gill puts it, "that is, not to be greatly moved; or if moved so as to slip and fall, yet not so as to fall finally and totally."  We're here.  Praise God!

What have we gone through to get here, though?  Have you been tested?  Have you been refined?  If you haven't, I daresay you will.  I don't think God sees any of His children as close enough to His image to not require some testing and refining.  And I don't know about you, but I know I still need refining.  There are still impurities residing in me that need to be brought out and skimmed off the top.  Are we brave enough to say, "Do it, Lord! Whatever it takes."  

The writer of this psalm remembers what God had done to the people of Israel - He had tested them.  When I read this passage, I think of the Jacob and his sons heading to Egypt because of the famine.  Did God allow the famine at this time for purpose?  Did God lead them to Egypt for a reason?  They went to Egypt for food, and they were fed there - but that provision came with 400 years of slavery.  While they were there they were burdened and abused.  But God had a purpose in luring them to Egypt - Egypt served as Israel's "incubator", giving them an environment - though difficult and hard at the time - to become a people large enough in number that could survive as a nation.  Had Jacob and his sons stayed in Canaan they may well have been destroyed by the countries around them while they were still so small in number that they would have been unable to defend themselves. But they grew in Egypt, they changed in Egypt and Egypt gave Israel something to remember - where they had been, and what God had brought them out of.  They went through fire and water, but then He brought them into abundance - He brought them to their promised land.

Can we look at our lives and say the same?  Have there been times of hardship that, looking back, we can see God used for good purpose in us.  During these times, did we grow and change and become something we weren't before?  And can we see that God was with us the whole time, even when it was hard and we didn't think we could keep hanging in there.  But we did, and God brought us out, and He will ultimately bring us out to not only a better us, but to a much better life - for He will bring us to our 

place of absolute abundance - eternal life with Him.  

The passage today starts out by praising God.  Can we even praise Him when we realize that He is testing us?  Yes, we can - because we know His testing is for good purposes.  His testing is refining us so that we can better reflect His image.  

WEEK THREE WRAP UP

So how do we now answer the question, why does God allow pain and suffering in the lives of Christians?  Shouldn't our faith in Him bring immunity to the pain of the world?  No - God doesn't promise His children that.  We are in this world and we will go through times of pain and suffering - some even that God orchestrates for good purposes in our lives.  Ouch!  We don't like hearing that, do we?  

Sometimes our troubles come at the hands of our opposition - the world that does not know Christ and does not align with our views of living, and we are given the chance to stand strong for our faith.  And sometimes, when we are leading lives of obedience to God, that obedience will lead to our suffering, and God sees our obedience and blesses us.  There are times when our suffering gives us great opportunity to testify to God's power and to bring us to people to share the Gospel, people we would have never known had it not been for what we were going through.  And as our memory verse for this week, Romans 8:18, reveals to us, suffering here on earth can serve as such a great reminder that we are not yet home, and to keep our eyes on where we are heading where every tear will be wiped away.  Finally, we see that our tough times are used by God to refine and purify us into people who truly reflect His image.  We need these times if we are to grow, if we are to change. We must constantly remember to ask God to use them for our best good - to bring us through, into abundance.

We serve a good, good God who loves us so much.  We must not let the enemy distort His image when we go through pain and suffering.  We need to keep our eyes on our good and loving Father who uses all things for our good.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

*oh, I mentioned the movie "Tortured for Christ" and just today I saw this link where you can view it - you might want to check it out:   

https://www.persecution.com/tfcmovieevent/

No post today!

With Robert at doctor appointment!  I’ll catch up tomorrow!  Prayers for Robert and for me appreciated!

Week Three - Observation 4

These are some long days in our house - as I've mentioned, Robert has idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a very difficult disease to manage when it moves into it's more advanced stages.  And, as with many chronic diseases, there are always other complications that come along with it.  Robert has developed a raging case of thrush in his lips, mouth and throoat.  VERY painful.  And, along with that, he has lost his voice, most likely from the irritation around his vocal chords.  You can imagine the frustration when you're not feeling well and you can't get someone's attention quickly because you now can't talk!  I ask you to pray for Robert that the thrush resolves very quickly and that his lovely voice is restored as well.  I really have always loved the sound of Robert's voice - very smooth and easy to listen to in conversation and really nice when he sings a good ol' Merle Haggard song!  So please keep him in your prayers for this urgent request as well as for his IPF and the challenges it brings.  We pray for healing every night, that is our deep desire, but we also place both of our lives in God's hands knowing that He is our faithful Creator and cares for His children so dearly that He will always do what is best for us.  And His best is always more than we can imagine.

I think when we go through today's passages, we will all feel that we've been pointed toward heaven.  It's hard when we are going through long days here on earth to remember that life here will never be what we wish it to be.  But we have a life coming that will be so much more than we could ever wish for.  We have to hold on to these verses that remind us of where we are heading, and get our re-born eyes focused on the Kingdom of God.  (John 3:5)

                                                       

Remember the question we're posing this week?  Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION

Matthew 5:11-12  "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of Me.  Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven.  For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Romans 8:18  "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

1 Peter 4:12-14  "Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you.  Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.  If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

Right off the bat, we're receiving blessing for our hard times on earth.  When I say that Jesus asks us to look at things in an upside down kind of way, this is one of those times.  We don't really like to think about being blessed for undergoing insults, persecution and false accusations, do we?  We'd just as soon Jesus have made it where we receive blessing when people praise us, treat us with favor and tell everyone how wonderful we are - that's what we sometimes think in the back of our mind, isn't it?  That when people say what a great Christian we are, when they ask us to serve on boards and committees because we're so involved in our community, and when they tell others that we are a really shining example of Christian love - God must surely be listening and taking note!  Now none of those things that I just mentioned are to be avoided (unless everything we are doing is just for those human rewards), but Jesus tells us that God's eye is really on the one who is doing all the right things and not receiving man's praise, but just the opposite - this Christian is paying a price for his good works and for his faith.  

"Blessed" in this verse is translated from the Greek word "makarios" - and "It means 'to be satisfied fully'.  This satisfaction comes from God; it does not depend on circumstances."  So not only is the picture of who is blessed a little different than what we would first think, even the state of being blessed may also be different than what first comes to our minds.  

This person who is living his faith boldly in the face of insults, persecutions, and false accusations is also the person who lives life completely satisfied in his relationship with God.  THIS is what enables them to "rejoice and be glad"!  For they know they are following God now on earth, just as the Old Testament prophets did, and they know they will follow Him into their heavenly home to receive His reward for their faithfulness.  There is not a doubt in their mind as to Who they are serving and where He is taking them.  They are completely satisfied and it has nothing to do with what they are having to go through in the here and now.  They have moved beyond earthly circumstances - they are already living in the Kingdom.

Then we come to our memory verse for this week, Romans 8:18.  Our "sufferings of the present time" - they can seem so heavy, can't they?  And they are.  I don't believe Paul is trying to take away from the hard times of life.  Hard times of disease when we see our bodies breaking down and causing us pain; hard times of poverty and hunger; hard times of natural disasters with homes destroyed; hard times of persecution throughout the world where people are being mistreated, abused, imprisoned and killed for their stand of faith.  These are hard times.  And maybe that's exactly what Paul is trying to get us to see --- that even though we see incredibly difficult, painful and heartbreaking times here on earth - the glory that is to be revealed to us is going to be so much more than just "offsetting", it is going to be absolutely mind-blowing glory!  It won't just "make up" for the pain and hardship of anything we have gone through here, I think Paul is saying that it it will be so tremendously wonderful that we won't even be able to think about anything that we went through to get there - we will be enthralled by the beauty and wonder around us when God's glory is revealed to us.   I just don't think there are words - so I might as well quit trying!

We've heard words from Jesus, and from Paul, and now we hear from Peter again today.  Peter tells us that when (not if, when) we face fiery ordeals (trials), not to be surprised - there's nothing strange or unusual going on - this is a testing.  

"The word fiery in verse 12 is translated from the Greek word purosis.  In this passage it refers to burning, the process used for refining or purifying metals, as well as to trials or calamities that test, or purify the character of a person.

"In the same verse the word testing is translated from the Greek word peirasmo.  In this context, the testing is sent by God or allowed by God and indicates trying one's character to prove him or her faithful."

We don't like to think of God sending us tests, or allowing us to be tested, do we?  What happens if we fail God's test?  Are we out?  No - I don't believe God's tests are pass/fail; rather I believe that God's tests are allowing us to grow stronger when we pass, or allowing us to see our weaknesses when we fail.  Either way, God uses them to grow us.  He already knows how we will handle the test - it is we who may be surprised at the outcome.  When we successfully get through a test showing our faith, it is an encouragement to us that we were able to come through, not on our own strength, but leaning on God.  And when we fail, our weakness is exposed - quite possibly a weakness that we were refusing to confront and repent of, and God is there to hear our confession of weakness, repentance and stand us back up to go further down our road of faith and becoming more like Christ.  Of course we all want to pass every test God sends us, but we won't.  There's purposes in both results - the purpose of refinement and purification.  When we understand that, we can keep on rejoicing, and rejoicing and rejoicing - until that day when we see Christ for who He truly is and we rejoice with great joy!

I said we'd be looking toward heaven today - our vision of heaven should alleviate some of the pain of earthly suffering and allow us to keep going forward, keep rejoicing in our Lord, keep marching to Zion!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week Three - Observation 3

I'm not even going to say it!  Not going to mention that "it's Monday again!"  Because today I have to say, "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT IS AUGUST?"  I cannot!  This summer, strange as it has been, has really flown by.  If you are like me, you are ready to welcome the sweet months of fall - it's my favorite time of the year.  But it is also the time of the year that goes the very fastest for me.  I always say, one day it's Labor Day and two weeks later it's Thanksgiving!  At least that's the way it goes for me.  I always have great plans of getting a jump start on the holidays, and it seems as if they always sneak up on me about a month earlier than I'm planning on!  The holidays...there's something to think about.  How will they look in this strange year of 2020 with COVID still hanging on?  Don't we live in times of uncertainty?  It is certainly a year requiring faith and trust.  And that is why we come together to ponder God's Word, to absorb it's truth and to leave, hopefully, a little more sure of who our loving Father is and what He is asking of us in these very unusual, very strange days.

We've looked at Christ's response to suffering, now we want to look at how His example can direct us in our times of trial.

Remember the question we're posing this week?  Why does God allow people, especially believers in Him, to suffer and why does He permit pain in our lives?

And our verse to memorize:  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."  Romans 8:18

OBSERVATION:

1 Peter 4:1-2, 14-16, 19   "Therefore since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same resolve - because the One who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin - in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God's will.

"If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler.  But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he should not be ashamed, but should glorify God with that name."

"So those who suffer according to God's will should, in doing good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator."

1 Peter 3:14-17  "But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.  However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame."

There's a lot here as far as ways in which we can suffer and directions as to how we should handle our times of trials and suffering.  

First thing I notice is that Christ "suffered in the flesh."  Jesus suffered physically - in His body - He took on extreme pain, physical pain, for us and for His part in God's redemptive plan.  We are instructed to have that same resolve - to endure physical pain.  I know for most of us, the thought of physical pain is one of the hardest things to consider.  But we have to.  We may undergo physical pain at the hands of someone persecuting us, or we may well undergo physical pain due to disease or accident.   There is ample opportunity in this broken world of ours for us to confront the problem of physical pain.  We need to resolve now, how we will handle pain when it comes our way.  And Peter tells us that our resolve should be to live whatever time we have left on this earth (in the flesh), for God's purposes, not for worldly achievement or gain, not looking forward to all the many things that we have held up as life's goals - simply to live our lives doing what God asks of us, whatever that may be, right now.  

I have seen it before and I'm seeing it again, when we go through times of suffering and pain, peoples' vision becomes so much clearer as to what is truly important in life.  It is a purifying process of removing the meaningless and reducing priorities to the very most important.  Peter reminds us that the by ultimate, most important priority for us as Christians is to do the will of God.  Let us resolve now, before pain presents itself (or during pain for some), to do just that - just what God asks of us today.  And then when pain comes, in whatever form, let us keep that resolve and be strengthened by knowing that we are following Christ's example and remembering that we are never alone, that God has not forsaken us, and that our pain - no matter how intense, is temporary.  God still has us in His arms.

                                                

Peter goes on to say that when we experience suffering, in this case by way of ridicule (revile), the same word that Jesus uses in Matthew 5:11 when He says that those who are reviled for His name sake shall be blessed, that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us.  When we stand up for Christ against opposition and ridicule, I picture that same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at His baptism coming down upon us and declaring that we are His children in whom He is very pleased.  That would be glory for me!  Obviously, Peter points out that suffering for doing evil gains no reward  - shouldn't even be a consideration for Christians to be categorized as such!  But when our suffering is a result of our taking the name of Christ and being called a Christian, then let's hold our heads high and bring glory to God by standing strong in our faith.  And that makes me think of another thing...the term "Christian" has been abandoned by some in favor of "Christ-follower".  I'm fine with being called a Christ-follower, but I don't ever want to be ashamed to be called a Christian, either.  I think the argument has been made that the connotation of the term "Christian" lends itself to an image that many people don't want tied to - that of uptight, narrow-minded church goers.  But just because the world may want to tie that very one-sided picture to our name, doesn't mean we should ever abandon it.  We are told not be to ashamed of being a Christian.  I won't be. I am a Christian - I am a Christ-follower.  I cannot be a Christian without being a Christ-follower.  I don't see how anyone can be a Christ-follower and not want to be called a Christian.  We are taking on His name when we do so - we are identifying with Him.  Let's not let the world steal that identifier from us.

Peter then encourages all those who suffer to trust their souls to a "faithful Creator."  Notice Peter doesn't say to entrust our bodies - our bodies may undergo pain and suffering and torment.  God may or may not rescue our bodies from such, according to His will.  But our souls...oh, those we can totally trust God to deliver.  I find it unusual that Peter uses "faithful Creator" here.  It's the only time that he or any other apostle uses this name to reference God.  I think maybe Peter is wanting to remind us that we can trust the One who made us, the Creator of our souls, and who has been faithful to be with us throughout our lives.  That's the One that we can entrust our souls to - He is our origin and He will do what is the best for us.  Our bodies may perish - but our souls belong to our faithful Creator.

Jumping back to the third chapter of 1 Peter, we hear Peter again remind us that we are blessed when we suffer for righteousness, for that which is right and good.  We are instructed not to let our enemies get to us (intimidation tactics) and not to even get upset by it (troubled or disturbed)!  How do we do that?  How do we remain calm and unbothered when people throw barbs our way for doing what we think is right?  Well I know what Peter is telling us not to do - don't react in kind!  Don't act like they're acting!  I see this happening sometimes - Christians are stooping to the same level as non-Christians in their reactions to arguments and coming across as not very loving at all.

What Peter goes on to explain is that we should use these opportunities to tell people WHY it is that we desire to do what we're doing, to give an account for the hope that lives within us - to PROCLAIM Christ and His love to others, even those who oppose us.  And Peter even adds that we are to do this with gentleness (in a calm and mild manner) and with respect.  We're to be people of honor, so that when people speak badly of us, they will have nothing to stand on.  We should always carry the name of Christ so highly in regard that we would do nothing, as Christians bearing His name, to bring dishonor to Him.  If that results in being treated badly, so be it - we will have been faithful to Him.  Let us know that our suffering comes from doing what is right, for being a Christ-follower in His example of suffering for God's purposes. And when we are suffering from causes other than persecution, such as illness, accident or heart-wrenching circumstances in our lives, let us still use these times as an opportunity to testify to our hope - life with God forever, through the blood of Jesus that covers all our sins and through His resurrection, showing us God's power over death and our promise of new life as well!  This is our hope - this is our promise!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

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