Week One - Observation 5 and Wrap Up

We're about to finish our first week - how is it going?  Any ideas to make this study better?  Let me know what you're thinking and how the study is making you think differently, if it is! 

As for me, I can't help but think of the current situation in China as we're discussing Christian persecution.  The horrific government that has controlled China for 71 years (since Chairman Mao announced the formation of the Peoples Republic of China in October 1949) continues to grow in evil doing as it intensifies it's opposition to Christianity.  Just this week it was reported that Chinese officials have ordered some Christians to smash the crosses on their churches and remove images of Jesus from their homes.  In the region of Shanxi religious images were demanded to be taken down and replaced with pictures of Communist leaders at the homes of impoverished believers.  These Communist leaders are responsible for the murder and imprisonment of their Christian brothers and sisters, and yet they are supposed to be objects of their honor?  In Zhejiang, an 80-year old woman was alleged to have been beaten as she tried to protect her church that was being destroyed. 

So what we are talking about this week isn't a "maybe someday it could happen" thing - it IS happening, right now, in our lifetimes, all around the world.  China is certainly not the only place.  Throughout Africa, Indonesia, India and the Middle East, Christians are being persecuted at an ever-increasing rate for their belief in Christ.  We need to be diligently remembering all of them in our prayers, that they may have the strength and perseverance that we would wish to have, and that they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit as a result of our prayers for them.  If you want to read more about current persecution of Christians around the world, visit www.persecution.com or www.opendoorsusa.org.  Both of these sites have lots of information that can give you specific things to pray for in specific areas.  I know there are many other sites as well, but these are two that I visit most often.

OK - last day - first week!

Our question to consider this week:

"Once we entrust our lives to God, are we exempt from the pain and difficulties of life?  Does our relationship with Him provide protection against suffering?"

Our first passage to memorize:

Philippians 1:29  "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.   Do you have it down?  Does it mean more to you after our discussion of yesterday?  Love to hear from you on that!

OBSERVATION 5

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10

"since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us.  This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don't know God and on those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  These will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction, away from the Lord's presence and from His glorious strength, in that day when He comes to be glorified by His saints and to be admired by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed."

We're going back to the continuation of the same passage of Scripture that we started with on our first day, the first chapter of Thessalonians.  Paul wants to assure his Christian family that there is a day of reckoning when their afflictions will be over, and those who have persecuted them for their belief in Christ will be brought to justice.  There is so much in this passage that we could pour over as far as end-times timing and exactly when these specific things are going to take place, but I don't think that will be my focus tonight.  But if you have thoughts on that aspect of the passage, I'd love to hear them!

OBSERVATION:

What I saw tonight in this passage is the stark contrast between "those" and "you". 

"Those" afflict "you" and God's justice will not allow them to go unjudged.
                    "You" will be given relief and rest when Christ comes with His powerful angels.
"Those" do not know God and "those" do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Those" will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction and separation from God's glory.
                    "You" who have believed, will admire Christ in His glory forever.

Paul presents two clear groups of people in this passage, those who:

1. Believe the message of the Gospel just as Paul preached to Thessalonica and the same Gospel we have also heard - risk affliction/persecution here on earth - receive eternal rest, relief and life when Christ comes - live an eternity of admiring Him for who He truly is and seeing Him face-to-face!

OR

2. Refuse to know God, refuse to receive the message of the Gospel - be the ones with power here on earth to persecute and bully Christians -  receive God's vengeance and retribution, and the ultimate penalty of eternal destruction - be forever separated from God and His glory. 

The first choice may be persecution here on earth (temporary), but the second choice brings an eternity of destruction and separation from God (eternal). 

"Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."  Matthew 10:28

Those who have been or will be persecuted may cry out "How long, how long?" but relief will come for them.  We hold on knowing our Savior is coming to rescue His own.

WEEK'S WRAP UP

Our question this week was, "Once we entrust our lives to God, are we exempt from the pain and difficulties of life?  Does our relationship with Him provide protection against suffering?"

I think it's clear after this week's study that Christians are not exempt from life's difficulties and God does not protect His people from all suffering.  In fact, suffering is not only possible, God tells us that it is inevitable for Christians.  We may, at some point, truly face persecution for our Christian faith; what seemed impossible not that long ago, is now a foreseeable possibility in our futures.  And while we ourselves are not currently undergoing physical persecution or suffering, we should be suffering "in kind" for our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world as is stated in Hebrews 13:3 "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."  We should suffer deeply considering the wrongs of this world and the judgment that is coming.  And we suffer through the sometimes really tough trials that life brings to us.

The follow-up question then is, "How will we respond to our suffering?"  Our prayer should be that we would respond just like the people in first century Thessalonica did - with "perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure."  

In the face of persecution:
I will know God knows - He has not abandoned me - my afflictions will be temporary.  I will be in a  family of believers that will encourage each other with our Christian bond of love.  I will depend on the Holy Spirit to embolden me, carry me and infuse His gift of joy into my life, whatever the circumstances.  I have learned to see suffering as an opportunity to grow into a deeper relationship with God, a "gifting" of greater intimacy with Him.   - and I will remember that I have a Savior who will rescue me and bring me to a glorious, eternal rest. 

Oh Lord, do not let me forget these lessons. 

Week One - Observation 4

It's Monday evening - and I'm glad to be back with you after the weekend!  Do weekends even seem like weekends any more?  For me they don't!  Every day seems to roll into the next, fairly indistinguishable from the one before.  Sundays are still marked by mornings of worship - but Robert and I are still worshiping at home, which is not the same as being with a body of believers, hearing voices raised together, praising our God!  I'm missing my congregation and it's hard when we just don't know when we'll get to return to that beautiful setting!  Thank goodness we do have access to services via television and internet, and we always have access to God's Word - let's not ever take either of those wonderful gifts for granted!

Thanks SO MUCH to those of you who have commented on the previous entries!  I LOVE being able to hear your thoughts and comments.  It makes this so much more meaningful to me.  Keep them coming.  If you have trouble posting on the blog, just comment on FB posting or via e-mail at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.  I'm copying all to the blog so we can keep them together to look back on.  I just love the fact that there is a group of us "coming together" and studying God's Word in this difficult time we find ourselves in.  For anyone who would care to, let us know via any form of comment what is particularly "difficult" for you right now - whatever it is - we all have different things going on that may be causing us difficulty.

Our question to consider this week:

"Once we entrust our lives to God, are we exempt from the pain and difficulties of life?  Does our relationship with Him provide protection against suffering?"

Our first passage to memorize:

Philippians 1:29  "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.   Are you memorizing this verse?  It's one I think that is important for us to have hidden - and we're going to dig into it today!

OBSERVATION 4

Philippians 1:29-30 - "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear about me."

2 Timothy 3:12 - "In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

OK - these two sets of verses really humble me.  I do not believe I have suffered persecution.  Where does that leave me as a person who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus?  Have I been insincere in my desire to truly follow Jesus?  If I were more sincere would I have suffered, or would I currently be suffering for Him?  Have I turned away from situations where I may have needed to take a stronger stand because I feared being persecuted in some way?

As we look into these verses, I'm reminded of the upside-down view of our world that Jesus portrays for us in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.  The attributes that Jesus holds up as "blessed" are not attributes that the world glorifies - just the opposite for the most part.  

                                            

And when we look at that very last "Blessed", it addresses those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake - for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

So looking at our first passage in Philippians 1:29-30, I think the first thing we need to look at is the meaning of the word "given", or possibly "granted" in your version.  This word is translated from the Greek word charizomai, "which means 'to grant as a favor or to show kindness.' It is the verb form of the noun for grace.  Suffering is a privilege God gives to the believer, a form of grace that shows His favor toward us."

Oh. Wow. 

That's why I selected this verse for us to memorize this week!  Suffering for Christ is a gift given to favored Christians - not a punishment, not something to dread - a special grace/gift, a showing of kindness from God!  Should that change our view of potential persecution and our tendency (if you are like me!) of shying away from it?  If, in the future, we can look at our lives and whatever opportunities we have to take a strong stance for our faith in Jesus Christ in the face of potential opposition and even persecution as open windows for God's grace to us, God's gift to us of His blessing, of His special favor, does that change our likelihood of not shying away but, almost anxiously, looking forward to what God is going to do in our lives in light of our persecuted status.  

If you ever have the opportunity to go to a Voice of the Martyrs Conference, I strongly encourage you to do so.  When you hear actual people testify to what they have experienced as persecuted Christians, there is, without exception, a joy that they exude when they talk of their times of suffering.  Many of them say that they have never felt closer to God, and that they had a special manifestation of God's presence while they were imprisoned that they have never experienced before or since.  Would they choose to go back to imprisonment or captivity?  No - but many say they do miss the spiritual intimacy they shared with God during that time, and that they would not have the relationship with God that they currently enjoy without that time of persecution.  They were gifted, they were graced, they were favored - and they had an opportunity to honor and glorify God that many of us will not have.

So where does that leave the rest of us?  Those who have not been persecuted or suffered for the sake of our faith?  Let's look at the second part of our passage in Philippians when Paul says that we will have the same struggle that he has encountered and has been talking about.  Paul often talks about his troubles in proclaiming the Gospel and lists many of them in 2 Corinthians 11.  That list includes quite a bit of suffering.  But I also think Paul may be referring to what he has just talked about earlier in Philippians 1:27-28:

"Just one thing: live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.  This is evidence of their destruction, but of your deliverance - and this is from God."

I think Paul introduces the verses we are memorizing by first telling his Thessalonian friends and by telling us that the first, the one thing --- simply live our lives in a Christ-like manner, stand firm, work for the gospel and to not be frightened in any way by our opponents.  Such lives show we are ready for whatever God brings to us, and we are trusting Him.  God's gift to us may bring suffering in a manner of great persecution, or it may be what could be considered a minor setback, but no matter - we will stand firm - we will stand unafraid - we will stand showing that we have been delivered from this world and the threats it can bring against us.  And whatever degree of suffering God allows us to bear in this world, we will accept it as a gift from Him, and feel honored that He saw us deserving.  I pray to have that mindset moving forward in this most unknown and uncertain of times, which may bring to many of us a greater level of suffering and/or persecution than we have experienced so far in our lives.

I know - that's an upside-down way of looking at it!  It challenges our human vision - but then we have to remember to look through our re-born eyes, eyes that can now see the Kingdom of God. (John 3:3) where everything is made right and new!

I've loved this one - let me hear from you!  I'm anxious!!

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

It's the Weekend!

Just letting you know - will not normally be posting on Saturdays and Sundays unless something has interrupted the preceding week's schedule.  I will post five observations a week, Monday through Friday.  I'm not sure if any others have tried posting comments directly on the blog and are having trouble doing that, but I have received comments via e-mail and Facebook and I am transferring them to the blog so that all can see.  When you open the blog and see all the posts listed, you can see if there are comments on any of the previous days entries, and if you want to view them, just click on that day.  You can always e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com if you have any questions! 

I've loved getting the feedback that I have received and would encourage everyone to throw your . .  reactions, thoughts, ideas back to me.  Love hearing what everyone is seeing in these verses we're studying.  Also, if you have any ideas how to improve the format or content of the study - I'm always open!

Spend your weekend well - worship tomorrow - and I'll "see" you on Monday!

Week One - Observation 3

OK guys!  I REALLY need some feedback!  Please let me know your thoughts, comments, things you see differently...I so want this to be interactive and not just a one-sided dialogue!  If I'm not making you think and question, then I'm not doing my part in opening up God's Word to you.  If my statements are confusing, if the material is too long, then I need to know that!  Please let me hear something back from you TODAY!  If you're trying to use the comment feature on the blog and it is not working, I need to know that too - if that's the case you can e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.  Also, if you'd rather just send your comment direct to me rather than posting, you can do that via e-mail.  Or if it's easier to comment on Facebook under the link for the day, that's fine too.  Just let me hear from you! Please!

Remember our question to consider this week:
"Once we entrust our lives to God, are we exempt from the pain and difficulties of life?  Does our relationship with Him provide protection against suffering?"

And our first passage to memorize:
Philippians 1:29  "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.

OBSERVATION 3

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7; 2:1-2, 2:14, and 3:4

 

1:6-7 "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with the joy from the Holy Spirit.  As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia."

2:1-2 "For you yourselves know, brothers, that our visit with you was not without result.  On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and been outrageously treated in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition."

2:14  "For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, since you have also suffered the same things from people of your own country."

3:4  "In fact, when we were with you, we told you previously that we were going to suffer persecution, and as you know, it happened."

What Kay Arthur would have you do right now is to read and re-read the above passages, and as you are re-reading to circle all of the pronouns that refer to the believers in Thessalonica and to draw a box around the pronouns that refer to Paul and/or those who were with him.  Then read the passage for a third time and underscore all the references to any type of persecution, tribulation, mistreatment, or suffering.  

When you look at these patterns, what does it tell you about the believers in Thessalonica and about Paul and his fellow evangelists?  

What I see is that the believers of Thessalonica understood from the get-go that their belief would invite severe hardship into their life, and yet they "welcomed the message" with joy...a supernatural joy that came from the Holy Spirit.  This Holy Spirit-driven joy was what allowed them to be the kind of people that Paul could brag about for their flourishing faith and their love for one another.  That joy will override the desperation that the world wants us to feel in light of our opposition. 

I see that the Thessalonian Christians were being persecuted not by foreign invaders or outsiders, but by their own countrymen, probably their own neighbors, possibly their own families.  This is something that for someone my age (64) is harder to get my head around at times.  For so much of my life, the United States was a Christian nation, and you really didn't encounter much opposition to your Christian faith and beliefs.  That is no longer the case.  We are now a nation of pluralism and inclusion - peoples belief systems are all over the board, and Christians, especially evangelical Christians, are becoming a minority.  With that change in status, we are seeing things change in the way our belief systems are viewed from those outside of our faith - we are seen as intolerant and judgmental.  I believe that the future may see these new views of Christians result in a much more restricted display of our faith and we will need to be prepared to stand strong in the face of potential opposition from our friends, neighbors and family.  

I see Paul telling them that even though he and his companions had just come from being abused and persecuted by sharing the Gospel in Philippi, they came to Thessalonica emboldened by God to share the Gospel there even though they were being overtly opposed and threatened. When you know your message is true, when you know your message is life-giving, and then when someone tries to stop you and you recognize the opposition as being driven by our ultimate enemy, Satan.....well then you realize your mission is important enough to engage the enemy, that your mission is critical and that you must keep going!  Where does all of this "realization" come from - just as Paul said, they were "emboldened by God."  God opens eyes that are looking to Him to see what is really going on and just how important the work is.  

I see that Paul knew in advance that they would undergo persecution for their ongoing mission, but that knowledge did not deter them or cause them to slow down - they just kept on preachin' the Word!!   It is why Paul was placed where he was, it is why we are still here and it is why Jesus has not yet returned - there are more to be brought into the Kingdom.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to be the one who shared the Gospel to the last new believer right before the trumpet sounds and we are gathered up with Jesus?

My observations today:

1.  We need to continually request the Holy Spirit to infuse us with His joy that makes us alive and vibrant and unable to be discouraged even though outside forces are opposing us and working against our Gospel-mission.  

2.  We need to be prepared for persecution/opposition from those immediately around us.  

3.  Persecution feeds our courage to be bold and keep going.  

4.  Knowing that persecution may/will result should never deter us from proclaiming the Gospel to a dying world.  Fear not!

OK - challenge on!  Someone share an observation, comment or argument!!  I hope to hear from someone soon - either below, on FB or e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week One - Observation 2

Looking back at yesterday's observation, I realized that my observations from 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 might not have been totally clear.  My observations were:

1.  That it takes an active, growing, flourishing faith to truly persevere difficult times in a victorious manner, a faith full of trust in our loving Father; 

and that
2.  It takes an active, loving Christian community encouraging one another during difficult times to cultivate an atmosphere of victory in which all can

Now those are my observations - they do not necessarily have to be yours!  Did you get something else out of this passage that I missed?  Please add comments!  It makes this a lot more interesting for me if you will share!  If you have any problems leaving a comment, e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.

OK - now moving forward!

Remember our question to consider this week:
"Once we entrust our lives to God, are we exempt from the pain and difficulties of life?  Does our relationship with Him provide protection against suffering?"

And our first passage to memorize:
Philippians 1:29  "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.

OBSERVATION 2:

2 Thessalonians 1:4-8 "Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God's churches---about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure.  It is a clear evidence of God's righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God's kingdom, for which you also are suffering, since it is righteous for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to reward with rest you who are afflicted, along with us.  This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don't know God and on those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."

Paul continues his praise to his Thessalonian brothers and sisters - again about their endurance/ perseverance and their faith throughout their persecutions, afflictions, and suffering.  

These are our three key words for today:

Persecutions = diogomos (Greek) = "hostile persecutions.  It involves being pursued by enemies"

Afflictions = thlipsis = "to crush or to squeeze.  It refers almost invariably to something that comes upon one from outward circumstances"..."To be afflicted is to be oppressed with evil."

Suffering = thilbo = "to press or to be troubled.  It indicates sufferings due to the pressure of circumstances or antagonism from others."

What do you see in common from these expanded meanings of these three words?  

These are troubles coming from outside forces, these are persecutions, afflictions and sufferings caused by strong opposition, both from people and from spiritual forces.  Note that "suffering" can also include the pressure of circumstances --- I think this is what Jesus referred to in John 16:33 when He assured us that in this world we would have troubles.  Our earthly sufferings caused by natural circumstances (illness, death, natural disasters, accidents) are sometimes equally hard to bear, but they are not what is being talked about in this passage, I do not believe.  I believe this passage is dealing entirely with outside forces, both human and demonic, causing Christians hardship due to their belief in Christ.

That context is reinforced by the following verses regarding God's future actions in light of their current sufferings.  

First Paul throws in a verse that, to me, is confusing and causes me some concern (2 Thessalonians 1:5).  It seems to be saying that by God's judgment on them they can prove themselves worthy of His kingdom, for which they were suffering.  But that doesn't line up with other Scripture (Ephesians 2:9 "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.")  When I get caught on a verse, I like to read Matthew Henry's Commentary - he always helps me see something a little clearer.  On this verse he says, 

"Their sufferings were a manifest token of this, that they were worthy or meet to be accounted Christians indeed, seeing they could suffer for Christianity. And the truth is, religion, if it is worth anything, is worth everything; and those either have no religion at all, or none that is worth having, or know not how to value it, that cannot find in their hearts to suffer for it. Besides, from their patient suffering, it appeared that, according to the righteous judgment of God, they should be counted worthy of the heavenly glory: not that they could merit heaven, but they were made meet for heaven. We cannot by all our sufferings, any more than by our services, merit heaven as a debt; but by our patience under our sufferings we are qualified for the joy that is promised to patient sufferers in the cause of God."

I know, Matthew Henry writes like someone from way, way back - because he is - he died in 1714!  But his words bring light to this verse for me - they tell me that God's righteous judgment was that these Thessalonians were up to the task of suffering for their faith, that their faith was true and would be proven true through their sufferings; and that through their sufferings they would become more like Christ and more suitable for life in God's eternal kingdom.  Suffering for our faith proves our faith - not to God, but to us and to those around us.  Suffering for our faith changes us into more of the person God designed us to be for eternity.  Suffering for our faith is something that we should not dread - but something of which we should see eternal blessing.

And then Paul goes on to explain that their suffering is not going unnoticed nor will their persecutors go unpunished.  God will repay those who oppress His children, and He will give His children relief and rest.  

Revelation 6:10 "They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the One who is holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”

    

                                

Paul tells the Thessalonians as he tells us, our relief will come when "the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire."

Until then, Christians of all ages, from the first century to present, have had to deal with persecution and affliction.  As Christians in the United States we have been blessed with a country that has allowed us freedom to worship our Father God without fear of persecution. I sometimes question if that has been a true blessing or not, as I'm afraid we have developed a soft faith that may not be able to stand the threat of affliction.  I pray that I'm not right on that.  I pray that should we see persecution and affliction come to us here in America, that we will be counted worthy to withstand and hold firm to our faith, for as Matthew Henry reminded us, "Religion, if it is worth anything, is worth everything."

My observations today:

1.  Christian persecution, affliction and suffering come from outside forces, intent on destroying our faith.  These forces are both human and demonic.

2.  Those who live through Christian persecution have been counted worthy to do so and are refined in the process to a higher degree of Christ-likeness.

3.  We can trust God to deal with the sources of persecution and those who oppose Him.

4.  We should ask God to start changing our perspective on suffering for the Kingdom - to move from a position of dread to a position of absolute trust in our Father who sees and knows all.

Repeating, those are my observations - they do not necessarily have to be yours!  Please add comments!   If you have any problems leaving a comment, e-mail me at janicehodges1356@gmail.com.

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Week One - Observation 1

So - are we ready to start?  As I said, I'll be utilizing "Living Victoriously in Difficult Times" by Kay Arthur and Bob & Diane Vereen.  All quotes are taken either from this book or from the HCSB of the Bible.  The study will take six weeks, meaning that we will be at the end of August when we finish.  Can't think of a better way to get through the rest of this weird, unusually difficult summer than to spend time in God's Word hearing from Him how to handle our lives in a victorious manner, during this time or any future times of difficulty.

I'll be posting five "observations" each week.  Also, each week I will select one core Bible passage for our memorization for that week.  When I started this blog over nine years ago, my primary goal was to memorize key Scriptures so that I would have them with me whenever I needed them...if I had my Bible handy or not.  I cannot claim to have kept all 100 of those verses "hidden in my heart", but I am very appreciative that the Holy Spirit works within me to bring many of those verses to my mind when the situation calls for them. 

So, it is still a critical purpose of this blog to memorize Scripture.  I need it and you do too.  Don't let memorization intimidate you.  Just go through the process of understanding what you're storing and you'll find that the words will start to flow naturally and easily.  And don't worry about saying them word-for-word perfect.  We certainly want our memorization to keep the intent of the verse, but, for example, if you memorize "the love of each of you toward another" instead of "the love of each one of you toward one another", you've got the true meaning and you don't need to worry about the missing "ones"!  Also, I'll be using and quoting the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), but feel free to use and memorize any version with which you are comfortable.

First week question to consider:
"Once we entrust our lives to God, are we exempt from the pain and difficulties of life?  Does our relationship with Him provide protection against suffering?"

First passage to memorize:
Philippians 1:29  "For it has been given to you on Christ's behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him."

As we go through this week, this verse will become more and more meaningful to us, I believe.  There's more in there then you might first realize, so start memorizing it now and let it start soaking into your heart where you will hide it forever!

OBSERVATION 1; 

Paul was certainly no exception to a life of suffering, nor were the early Christians who came to belief through him and to whom he wrote many words of explanation and encouragement so they would understand that difficulties would be encountered and how they, and WE, should view them.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 "We must always thank God for you, brothers, which is fitting, since your faith is flourishing and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.  Therefore we ourselves boast about you among God's churches - about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions an afflictions you endure.  It is a clear evidence of God's righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God's kingdom, for which you also are suffering."

These were Paul's brothers (and sisters) in the faith - he was thankful for them and wanted them to know that.  And this Christian family of Paul's was undergoing persecution, primarily from Jews who opposed their conversions to Christianity (Acts 17:1-10) , but most likely also from Gentiles living there who saw them as radicals opposed to their immoral lifestyle and idol worship. 

Two things of note about these early Christians:  They had not just come to faith and stayed babies - their faith was flourishing - it was growing and affecting others.  Secondly, they were bound together in Christian love.  In times of difficulty, it is important for us to be in a community of believers.  This is one way the Holy Spirit supports us and grows our faith - through each other.  We are not meant to live out our Christian faith by ourselves, especially when times are rough.  I think both their active, growing faith and the strong bond of love that existed among them is what enabled the Thessalonian Christians to endure and persevere the persecution they were going through.

So now about that perseverence (endurance in HCSB)...one of the things I really enjoy about Kay Arthur's studies is that she always explains the real meaning of words in their Biblical context.  Perseverance is the Greek word hupomone, which means "patience or endurance in difficult circumstances."  In our current difficult circumstances (both personal and global), how are we doing in that regard?  Are we handling them patiently, knowing that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:8), or are we grumbling, moaning and voicing dismay over what we think the future may hold?  Persevere doesn't mean to just make it through the difficulty, it means to make it through patiently...and what I read into that as well, is to make it through with peace and contentment.

Which brings us to the other attribute Paul brags about regarding the Thessalonian believers: their faith.  The Greek word used for faith in this verse is pistis, which means "to believe, to be fully persuaded; belief with the predominant idea of trust."  When we have this kind of faith, not a baby faith of first belief, but a strong conviction of the truth of God our Father, Jesus our Savior and the Holy Spirit our Comforter; when we have come to a maturity in our faith where we can sincerely say we trust our lives to our God, then we can accept less than ideal circumstances and accept the trials that may come to us, knowing that God is good, that God knows all, and that He is walking with us through whatever we are going through.  Our faith in God also reassures us that it is His strength that will allow us to persevere, not ours, and that we can lean into Him when we are weak.

As I've come to say, "Whatever happens to us here, it's only our little earth story - one which will seem very unimportant the minute we cross into eternity." 

In closing, here's a question to ponder:  "If Paul were describing your faith, in what ways would his description differ from or be similar to what he has to say about the Christians of Thessalonica?"

Love to hear your comments!  Let's use this time to share and grow with each other -

In His Amazing Love,

Janice

Getting Started Again - in Difficult Times!

My good friend, Terrie Rogers, encouraged me to start writing again during what is a very difficult time in my life, and during what is certainly a most unusual time in all of our lives.

My personal circumstance is this - my husband of almost 33 years was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis six years ago.  This diagnosis was surely not good news, but also not surprising news.  When Robert was diagnosed in summer of 2014, it was after his brother, Jimmy, had died of IPF in 2007, and after his younger brother, Gary, had been diagnosed a year earlier in 2013.  IPF is not "hereditary", but they have determined that there can be familial propensities toward the disease, and the Hodges' brothers have proven to fall within that category.  Unfortunately, Gary succumbed to the disease in October 2014, leaving Robert as the last living brother of what had been a robust family of five boys and one girl.  Robert's younger sister, Mary (Gary's twin), shows no signs of the disease and, other than some controlled heart issues, is healthy and active.  Robert's oldest brother, Bill, died at age 84 of an apparent heart attack and his brother, Don, died at age 80 of acute leukemia after battle myelodysplastic syndrome for the last three years of his life.  Don did, however, have some fibrosis in the lower lobes of his lungs that was discovered during treatment for his other condition, but IPF did not contribute to his death.

Robert was very, very fortunate that in 2014 his doctor, aware of the family history, encouraged him to start a new drug, OFEV, which was not available for Jimmy in 2007, and for which Gary had progressed too rapidly to take advantage of.  Doctors feel this drug, and Robert's tolerance for it, (it can have debilitating side effects)  has extended Robert's healthy years over those that Jimmy and Gary got to enjoy post diagnosis, as they both died approximately two years after being diagnosed.  Robert is now six years post-diagnosis, and four years of being on OFEV.

All of that lengthy explanation is to bring us to May 2020 when Robert suddenly became extremely short of breath.  We were certain he had pneumonia (he had a case of pneumonia and flu in January) and his medical provider agreed and treated aggressively (after testing for COVID, of which we were really concerned!).  But four days later he wasn't any better, actually worse, and we went back to see his provider.  At this time, Robert's oxygen saturation was not sufficient for him to be sent home, which meant admission to the hospital, which meant due to current COVID guidelines, I could not be with him while he was in the hospital.  He was admitted and during his one-week stay it was determined that he had had an acute exacerbation of his IPF.  This was the longest week of my life - knowing Robert was by himself in the hospital and not knowing everything that was going on or exactly how he was doing!  I would talk to him on the phone and he would sound so weak and discouraged.  We both seriously questioned if he would get to come home.

He did come home one week later to the whole new world of being oxygen dependent with home concentrators and oxygen tanks that go with us wherever we go.  I had never fully appreciated the restrictions that oxygen dependency places on someone, but I now know.  The first few nights were terribly scary for me, thinking the concentrator would stop, or that Robert wouldn't be able to breathe for some reason or another.  But we got through those nights and before we knew it, he had been home a week, then a month and now we're almost two months home from the hospital.

That time frame is significant because when he was in the hospital one of his medical providers told him that he probably only had four to eight weeks to live.  While we understood the seriousness of an exacerbation with IPF, we were not even remotely thinking of only weeks of remaining life.  But then we talked with our physician at National Jewish Hospital who told us there was absolutely no way of knowing how this disease would progress, that Robert had gone beyond what his brothers' patterns of progression had been, and that there was good reason to continue to believe the OFEV would hold us here at this new, decreased level for a period of time.

So that is where we find ourselves today - Robert has held at the same level as post-hospitalization, even has improved somewhat in his capacity to walk without having to stop for breath as quickly as he was.  Until it became unbearably hot here in the Texas panhandle, we were spending a lot of time on our patio and taking afternoon drives in our little convertible, enjoying the sun in our face and the wind in our hair.  He is still 24/7 oxygen dependent, but life right now is "normal" enough that Robert is sitting at his desk, furtively finishing up our 2019 Income Tax return so he can hit "send" and be done with that prior to tomorrow's deadline.  (We both have a tendency to procrastinate and this is our very "normal" income tax schedule!)

Doctors would say that OFEV is probably the reason that Robert has had these years of life post diagnosis, and I agree that it has been a blessing...but a blessing given to us by God, and that His will is the absolute reason that Robert is still here and doing as well as he is.  I am convinced that there is purpose in each and every day of life we are given, both for Robert and for me.

As I've been working from home since March 19 (my boss is incredibly considerate of my situation and insisted that I take no chance of bringing COVID-19 home to an extremely vulnerable husband), I have found it very challenging to determine God's purpose for me in this time of isolation and stillness.  After Robert's hospitalization, my purpose became clearer - I was very much needed as his hands and feet since getting up to get anything required way more energy than he was capable of producing.  But since he's been gaining some strength and getting around a little better, there have again been times of, "What am I supposed to  be doing?", and asking God for His direction.

Now we are finally back to Terrie's suggestion that I mentioned at the beginning of this very lengthy introduction!  I think it is time to start writing again.  I'm asking God to direct me and to encourage me - and to stop me if the time isn't right or if I'm not saying the things that He wants me to.

I picked up a little Bible study that I bought years and years ago to do on my own - I had started it, but not finished (there's a pattern there!) and the name of the study made it seem perfect for right now:  "Living Victoriously in Difficult Times" by Kay Arthur and Bob & Diane Vereen.  I've always enjoyed Kay Arthur as a Bible study teacher.  I am going to be working my way through this study and asking you to come along with me.  You don't need to get the book, as I think I'll be covering it fairly thoroughly.  (It is available on Amazon, if you wish to have a copy.)

I think this study will appeal to a lot of you, because even though Robert and I are going through a difficult time, we all are.  I know you are all feeling the pressure and stress of one of the most difficult times of our lives.  The threat of pandemic bringing with it illness and sometimes even death; the unrest that we see in our country due to racial strife and division; and throw in on top of that an election year that always seems to bring with it discussions that can go from calm to fiery in a matter of minutes...or in a matter of a few comments!

So if you're like me, you would like to look back on this time and think, "God, you taught me so much, and I did live in victory, even though it was a really difficult time," rather than, "That was a terrible time, hated every minute of it and gained nothing in my walk of faith."  I don't want to waste this time that I know God has purpose for and I'm sure you don't either.

I hope you'll join me as we utilize this timely study for God's purposes in our lives right now - I'll borrow my friend Candy's current shout of encouragement, "Let's Go!"