Good Wednesday morning! So.... while our Internet was out yesterday: Washington and much of the East Coast held an earthquake; Hurricane Irene became a Category 3 storm; and Wall Street held a big rally. Which one of these doesn't belong? Wrong! They all happened. Oh, and that Libyan dictator fellow who apparently has already fled the sinking ship called upon his supporters to resist. Nothing like the smell of cowardice in defeat. But I suppose one of the requirements for dictatorship is a certain 'me first' attitude.
This morning, I was reminded at least once of Peter's warning in his first epistle. The one where the devil stalks about as a roaring lion. Yes, that one. If the devil is always roaring, why do we allow him to sneak up on us so often? When is the lion most difficult to spot? Right, when the bushes are in full bloom with flowers to catch our attention; the trees are in full leaf; the birds are singing for joy, and everything looks just fine. We are not walking through the valley of death's shadow as in the 23rd Psalm, but we are walking through the peak of life's best. That is when we are least likely to be vigilant and the lovely bushes more easily hide that roaring lion. What happens? Things are going so well and 'bango!' you are ambushed by the lion and thrown down.
Just about the time we are saying, "Praise God! I have it made!" we suddenly find ourselves flat on the old toosh again. Temptation, pain, calamity, whatever the method, the devil has rolled over laughing and we are asking God, "Why me?" It seems backwards to say it, but in our Christian walk the suffering and trials will come. Even worse, I didn't come up with this idea on my own. Jesus said it to all of us, and he said that we should be very glad. Actually, Jesus said this: "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matt 5:11-12
I find it unlikely that these 'others' that Jesus is referring to would all be complete strangers. Rejoicing in some of the worst things people we know can do to us may be about the most difficult thing there is to accomplish. If someone you knew as a teenager, or someone you work with, or even a friend suddenly turned on you and began reviling, persecuting, and uttering all kinds of evil against you falsely because of Christ, you are going to be very hurt. To rejoice in that seems rather a large mountain to climb; don't you think? However, that is a command direct from Jesus.
Praise God that what may be difficult, if not impossible, for us is possible with God.
Bucky
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