Tag Archives: character

17 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF SUFFERING

Christian Life, ,

17 – ENGAGING THE POWERS OF THE KINGDOM – THE POWER OF SUFFERING

This is a strange topic to include in this series! How can we use suffering to overcome the world?

The more I think about it, the more I realise that the Bible has much to teach us about suffering and how we can turn suffering to our advantage to overcome the world system by engaging the power of the kingdom.

“Suffering” is a huge subject with many mysteries. I don’t intend writing a thesis on the subject. I would rather examine suffering from the Bible’s perspective so that we can turn our hardships into tools to overcome the world and its ways.

Let me start with some observations about suffering.

  1. Everyone will experience suffering in some form because we are all part of a fallen world. Not even belief in Jesus will exempt us from suffering.

“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”John 16:33 NLT

  1. Suffering has many faces… physical, psychological, emotional, mental, and even spiritual.
  1.  Spiritual suffering is a topic on its own.

We can understand the causes of most suffering, but what about spiritual? Spiritual suffering is very real.

Job is a good example of spiritual suffering. His physical disease and the emotional pain of his loss produced the question, “Why?” All his emotional and physical anguish paled into insignificance in comparison with his spiritual suffering because God didn’t answer his question.

We suffer spiritually when we ask the wrong question, have the wrong attitude, or view our suffering from the wrong perspective.

  1. The Bible does not answer the personal question, “Why am I suffering?” Only God knows why He allows individuals to suffer. It does answer the question, “How?”
  1. God does not use suffering to punish us for sin. Jesus suffered and died to pay for all sin for all people for all time.

“He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” 1 John 2:2 NLT

  1. If we understand suffering from God’s perspective, it will always have a positive outcome for us.

“For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” Hebrews 12:10-11

To answer the question, “How must we respond to suffering?”, we must find our answer in the way Jesus suffered.

  1. JESUS WAS BORN TO SUFFER

“He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.” Isaiah 53:3 NLT

Jesus’ suffering was predicted centuries before His birth. Unlike most other humans, He was sent by the Father to suffer and die for the sins of the world.

  1. JESUS’ SUFFERING WAS TRAINING TO BE A SON

“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 NLT

Although Jesus was God’s Son, He had to learn to be human. Since His role as God’s sacrifice for sin was to be a perfect son, God used suffering to teach Him obedience because obedience to the Father is a hallmark of sonship.

  1. SUFFERING QUALIFIED JESUS TO BE A PERFECT HIGH PRIEST AND SACRIFICE

“In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.” Hebrews 5:9 NLT

God designated Jesus to be our High Priest in the order of Mechizedek, a type of Jesus because there is no record of his death. Since Jesus is alive forever, He remains our High Priest forever.

Unlike the Levitical high priests, Jesus did not offer an animal for the sin of His people.

“So, Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.” Hebrews 9:11-12 NLT

  1. JESUS DID NOT SUFFER FOR HIS SIN BUT FOR OURS

“He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone… He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” 1 Peter 2:22, 24 NLT

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18 NIV

  1. JESUS’ SUFFERING RESTORES EVERYTHING TO GOD’S ORIGINAL PURPOSE

“Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:20-22 NLT

“But it was the Lord ’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord ’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.” Isaiah 53:10-11 NLT

  1. JESUS WAS GIVEN THE GREATEST TITLE AND REWARD BECAUSE OF HIS OBEDIENCE TO GOD

” Lord” – supreme authority, and “head over all things for the church”.

“… When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7-8 NLT

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

“God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT

7. JESUS’ SUFFERING EQUIPS HIM TO BE OUR FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST

As a perfect sacrifice, Jesus took away our sin. As a faithful High Priest, He supports us in our suffering.

“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 NLT

“Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” Hebrews 2:17-18 NLT

  1. AS OUR HIGH PRIEST, JESUS LIVES FOREVER AND, BY HIS DEATH, IS QUALIFIED TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR US

“Making intercession” is not the same as “praying” for us. An intercessor is one who stands between the offender and the offended to present the offender’s case. He is a mediator or an advocate.

Jesus is both our mediator and advocate who is in the Father’s presence and presents His blood in our defense because we have been declared “not guilty”.

“Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”Hebrews 7:25 NRSV

“There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5 NLT

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” 1 John 2:1-2 NLT

It was through His suffering that Jesus made salvation and all its benefits possible for us. Therefore, we must ask the question, “How can we use our suffering to benefit ourselves and others on this journey towards victory over our spiritual enemies?”

Since we can’t evade or escape suffering for whatever reason, there are attitudes and actions to adopt that, strangely enough, turn suffering into a joyful and beneficial experience.

However, we must first look at the sources of our suffering because each calls for a different response.

  1. The fallen world we live in.

Since we live in a world corrupted by sin, we are surrounded by sinful people who function in a corrupted world system. We are subjected to attitudes and actions from the world that prompt us to react out of the flesh and that reflect the same attitudes as worldly people… frustration, impatience, anger, resentment etc.

  1. The consequences of our own ungodly and foolish choices.

When worldly people do things that bring suffering on themselves and other people, they often blame God for “allowing” these “consequences” to happen.

We are also capable of making choices that have unpleasant consequences. However God does not protect us from the consequences of our sinful choices because we make the choices, not God, and we learn valuable lessons, if we are wise, from what we suffer. Unfortunately, these consequences won’t go away and may or will haunt us for the rest of our lives and even the generations that follow.

Abraham’s choice to have a son through Hagar is a good example of the results of one ungodly choice.

  1. There is a third cause of suffering we can dodge if we want to, but there are benefits that far outweigh the pain if we are willing to walk this path.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10 NIV

HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO SUFFERING?

  1. Rejoice in trials and tests

Suffering that comes from any of the above causes only has benefits if we see beyond the immediate pain to the end result.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”James 1:2-4 NLT

Suffering, then, if we look beyond the present, produces strength of character and maturity that does not depend on circumstances for happiness and contentment.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 NLT

Notice how joy is connected to the outcome of our endurance.

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 NLT

God uses hardships to discipline us so that we may be done with sin…

“So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.” 1 Peter 4:1 NLT

… and share in His holiness

“For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” Hebrews 12:10-11 NLT

  1. Go to the throne of grace

“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT

Through God’s grace, we are given the power to endure suffering with the right attitude, i.e., the confidence that God is working for our good, instead of becoming fearful, angry or bitter.

Paul learned this lesson when God refused to take away his “thorn in the flesh”. .

“So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud…. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”… So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:4, 7, 9-10 NLT

Rather than bemoaning his sufferings, Paul learned to use them to experience God’s grace and enjoy the privilege of living by God’s power.

  1. Take your suffering responsibly if you have done wrong

“Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong….” 1 Peter 2:20a NLT

  1. Endure patiently if you are suffering for doing right

… “But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.” 1 Peter 2:20 NLT

  1. Look to Jesus as the perfect example

“For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment… For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.” 1 Peter 2:19, 21-23 NLT

What was the outcome when Jesus suffered as He did without reacting?

When Jesus suffered without retaliation, His enemies could do no more to try to cause Him to sin. His confidence in the Father’s perfect justice enabled Him to put His case in the Father’s hands.

Jesus’ attitude was forgiveness because He was aware of the damage they were doing to themselves by pouring out their hatred on Him. He did not allow their hatred to enter His soul.

We can stop the injustice we suffer right there if we are willing to take it without anger and retaliation. Our enemies can do no more to hurt us if we don’t react. We can remain unaffected if we realise that what others do to us is the expression of who they are, not who we are.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 NIV

There is so much more to suffering than we can deal with here. Let me summarise:We all suffer in one way or another.

  1. Unjust suffering is the most difficult to understand or handle.
  2. Jesus is our perfect example.
  3. He refused to retaliate. Instead, He entrusted Himself to the Father’s perfect justice.
  4. We have access to God’s grace and the power to overcome.
  5. In the end, good will come of our suffering, if we trust in God’s goodness.

One last point…

God has made us co-heirs with Jesus but… there is a condition.

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” Romans 8:17 NLT

“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” 2 Timothy 2:11-12 KJV

I don’t think for a moment that Paul is saying that we are only heirs with Jesus if we lose our lives for His sake. That would disqualify most of us from sharing in this promise.

I have an idea that Paul means, not that we suffer for Jesus but that we suffer with Him. In that sense, we do as Jesus said, “Take up the cross daily.”  In that sense also, since we no longer belong to ourselves, we put to death our fleshly desires and live in submission and obedience to Jesus as Lord.

This means that we accept whatever circumstances we are in with joy and gratitude because God is working for our good in them to conform us to the image of His Son. Just as Jesus submitted to the Father, we submit to Him and, through our submission and obedience to His will, we learn what it means to be a true son or daughter of God.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All Scripture quotations in this series

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLIND SPOTS!

Christian Life, ,

Blind spots!

Most motor vehicles have blind spots – those places in the rear view mirror where a vehicle behind you is obscured for a moment or on the sides of the windscreen that block your vision of an oncoming vehicle. If you are not vigilant, a blind spot can be the cause of a serious accident.

We can also have blind spots in our characters or behaviour patterns, flaws of which we are unaware but which cause offense to other people; habits, attitudes, character traits, moods or reactions or responses to people or situations.

These blinds spots very often reveal themselves in the way we treat others. The things we don’t like in others are often a reflection of what is in our own lives. We may be moody, critical, sarcastic or angry and be unaware of the way our words or behaviour affect others. We don’t see any wrong in the way we treat other people and we go on our merry way leaving a trail of emotional injury behind us.

Listen to what Jesus taught His disciples: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5

How can we discover and deal with our blind spots so that we can foster harmony in our families, in the church and with friends and work colleagues? I can think of at least three ways to deal with our blinds spots.

Firstly, we need to be honest. If we refuse to acknowledge our faults, we are fooling no-one but ourselves. God’s grace will come to us when we are honest with Him.

Secondly, we need humility, before God and men. Pride refuses to acknowledge our faults and do something about them. Humility allows God to change us.

Thirdly, we need accountability, a loving, caring person who will help us monitor our progress. If we are really serious with God, dealing with blind spots will go a long way towards building unity in our families and in the body of Christ.

MOLLY AND ME – TRUST

Christian Life, , ,

Molly is almost fourteen months old now.

She reminds me of Abraham.

When God called Abraham to leave his home country and go to a land He would show him, Abraham didn’t know God but he went as God instructed him. It took him many years and many mistakes and times of mistrust to get to know God. When the final test came, “Go and sacrifice your beloved son, Isaac, on the mountain I will show you,” Abraham didn’t  hesitate. He trusted God implicitly despite the enormity of what God asked him to do. His years of walking with God and getting to know Him built an unshakeable faith in the faithfulness of the God he could not see but trusted to do the best for him.

Molly hasn’t reached Abraham’s level of trust yet, but she’s getting there. When she came to me as a tiny six-week-0ld puppy, she didn’t know me and I didn’t know her. In the year that we have been together, we have got to know each other and her trust in me is growing. For instance, she knows that, when I roast a chicken, some of it will be hers. Chicken is her all-time favourite meat and I could never ignore that expectant little creature who sits patiently waiting, tantalised by the smell of the delicacy, for her share.

Molly is beginning to understand human language. If I use the same words often enough, accompanied by the action, she responds with great enthusiasm to my instructions. If I tell her to “Go play,” she runs outside to look for her doggy friend. When I tell her, “Let’s go walkies,” she rushes to the gate and waits for me to put on her harness – a necessity for an energetic little dog who wants to take on all the neighbourhood canines, big or small.

She loves to sit with me on my recliner, snuggling in beside me with the anticipation of a nap while I do what ever I am doing at the time. She sometimes taps me on the leg to let me know she’s there and ready for me to pick her up. She often jumps high enough for me to see her beside my chair, then backs off and teases me by staying just out of reach. When she is ready, she comes near enough and willing for me to hoist her onto my lap.

When I leave her at home to go on an errand, she trusts me enough to let me go without a fuss if I give her a meaty bone to chew while I am away. She makes no attempt to follow me to the car because she knows that I will return.

Over the many years of my walk with the Lord, God has used many varied and sometimes difficult and painful experiences to teach me to trust Him. Trust is never automatic – it has to be learned by getting to know the character of the one whom you trust. If I were to fail Molly by ignoring her needs or failing to keep my promise, would she still trust me? She knows that I love her. How does she know? Apart from the many assurances of my love, the cuddles and kisses, I take care of her, meet all her needs and always pay attention to her when she “tells” me what she wants.

Of one thing I am very sure, God loves me. Apart from the declarations of His love in His Word, I have a lifetime of experience of His care, provision, faithfulness to His promises and blessing over and beyond anything I could have ever anticipated or dreamed of. Can God be trusted? Yes! A thousand times, yes! I have reached a point in my life of 77 years, that I can rest in Him no matter what happens because I have proved and I know that, in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

God’s on a mission – to conform me to the image of His Son. And that’s enough for me. I trust Him. Do you?

A River Of Consequences

Bible Study, , , , ,

A RIVER OF CONSEQUENCES

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5.

It had happened. We have been justified. It is a cut-and-dried fact!

But justification releases a river of consequences. The first one is peace with God. The war is over. God and man have been reconciled. God and we have “smoked the peace pipe” and there is no longer any reason for Him to be at odds with us. The solid ground of peace with God is that the reason for the war has been removed. Where once the broken law was the issue, it no longer exists. Jesus has satisfied God’s holy standards by living a perfect life and then doing away with the law as a standard of judgment.

Jesus has become God’s standard of judgment and, because we are now “in Him” through faith in Him, we wear His righteousness as a covering for our sin. Justification, and the peace with God which follows, is our legal standing before Him. We can approach Him without fear, look Him in the face and receive His smile of approval because there is nothing left to condemn or separate us from Him.

Through Jesus, we have been given access into God’s grace – all His resources of love, strength and enabling that we need to live our lives in and for Him. We have a standing in grace – we are surrounded with His favour as David experienced:

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with favour as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12.

Another consequence flows from justification – the hope of the glory of God. What does this mean? When Adam sinned, the whole human race was plunged into darkness – selfish and self-centred living that brought chaos and conflict into the world because everyone was looking out for number one. Jesus died in our place, not only to deal with our sin but with our sinfulness as well. That means that, through the power of the Holy Spirit we are being and will be restored to God’s original intention, to be replicas of Him in our nature and behaviour.

But how does that happen? Strangely enough, the very hardships we experience, which we so often use to accuse God of not loving us, or of punishing us for something we have done wrong (which cannot be because God has already punished Jesus for all sin, ours and everyone else’s), are God’s way of knocking off the rough edges so that we begin to understand and share in the hardships of others instead of being self-absorbed and self-centred.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? …They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in His holiness, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:7; 9-11.

Three more consequences flow from our training to reflect God’s glory: perseverance, character, hope. Have you ever noticed how God’s children who have suffered much have been mellowed by it and are full of hope for their future in the life to come? Paul says, “Revel in it! There are indescribably great things up ahead.”

These consequences go full circle – they begin with God’s great love for us and they work in us until God’s love is poured through us to touch the lives of others who, in turn, follow the same pattern, over and over again and on and on. Justified; peace; grace; perseverance; character; hope; love. And it all flows out of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Honoured to be Dishonoured

Christian Life, , ,

HONOURED TO BE DISHONOURED

“That convinced them. They called the apostles back in. After giving them a thorough whipping, they warned them not to speak in Jesus’ name and sent them off. The apostles went out of the High Court overjoyed because they had been given the honour of being dishonoured on account of the Name. Every day they were in the Temple and homes, teaching and preaching Christ Jesus, not letting up for a minute.” Acts 5:40-42 (The Message).

Isn’t this a rather strange way to react to an unfair whipping? What had these men done to deserve such drastic treatment at the hands of their justice system? Given people back their health and a better quality of life? Introduced them to the God who forgave their sin and gave them inner peace? What kind of crime was that?

The authorities might just as well have beaten them with an ostrich feather, for all the effect it had on the apostles. In fact, instead of deterring them, it made them even bolder and more determined to obey the Lord Jesus in spite of the consequences. Their response? They were honoured to be dishonoured for the Name of their Master.

What is the significance of that specific statement “for the Name”? In Hebrew thought a name had far more meaning than the handle by which a person was known. A name was a prophetic utterance of character. When a child was named it was sometimes a reflection of the circumstances of the child’s birth but often prophetic of what that child would become. “‘You are to give Him the name Jesus,'” Luke 1:31b (NIV), “Saviour”.

The name of Jesus is much more than His handle; it is the character of the Person whose name we carry. We have been given the name of Jesus to wear as the distinguishing garment of our identity. When we were baptised, we were immersed into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as representatives of the triune God; and those who wear His name are to be witnesses to the world of who He is and how He behaves towards all people.

The apostles were delighted to be dishonoured for the honour of wearing His name because He was willing to suffer disgrace in the eyes of man to rescue them, and us, from the clutches of the enemy. How different from the attitude of many so-called believers today. We whine and even walk away when God does not answer our “prayers” when we issue our instructions.

What did these incorrigible apostles do about the beating and the warning that went with it not to propagate the name of Jesus ever again? They went right back and carried on from where they were interrupted! No puny Sanhedrin had the power to stop them from obeying their divine Master.

Such was the focus of these men on the mandate they had been given to make Jesus known that nothing could veer them off course — not even the physical and verbal abuse of the highest court in their land. Their guiding star was, “We must obey God rather than men.” These were only unexpected interruptions which they brushed off like flicking off an irritating fly so that they could get right on with the task at hand.

If we claim to wear the name of Jesus we, too, must learn to flick off every irritating interruption to our calling to be His witnesses. It may not mean beatings and imprisonment, but it does mean not being fazed by the circumstances of living in a fallen world. Instead of whining, “Why me, Lord?” Let’s get on with the business of being His witnesses by walking in the unshakeable confidence of who He is and serving a broken world with all our hearts.