1 Peter 1:13-16
So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The Arkansas Razorbacks football team is not having a good year. In fact, they have suffered a school-record eight straight losses. This is the result of a number of things…including the residual fallout from an almost-two-year-old scandal that stood the athletic department on its ear for a while. If you follow college football in general, you know that many fans are somewhat “rabid”… they love their team and want to win at all costs. So it will come as no surprise that some would choose to go back to the “winning” program of a few years ago, headed by a dishonest and deceptive coach, rather than persevere to build something that has integrity and excellence over the long haul.
Let’s be honest… aren’t there times when we all want to throw up our hands and ask, “What’s the point? Why am I even trying?” Every one of us has times in our life when the old ways of doing just what we feel like doing sounds pretty good in comparison to the struggles and challenges of developing a life shaped by God’s life. Nobody ever said being holy would be easy!
Hear the word of God from 1 Peter 2:18-26:
You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God’s sake when you’re treated badly for no good reason. There’s no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you’re treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.
This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.
This should give us great hope. Because of Jesus, who has done so much for us, we can remain faithful…and filled with hope. Surely we can persevere. We.Can.Do.This! We can keep working through all challenges and disappointments… and help build the Kingdom of Heaven. We can strive to become more holy every single day… and in doing so, we can anticipate a life “energized and blazed with holiness” and blessings.
Remember… in the end, God wins! If we want to win with Him, we have to remain hopeful and holy. The choice is ours… what will you do?
©2013 Debbie Robus
March 17 ~ Job 27:1-5
Job said: I am desperate because God All-Powerful refuses to do what is right. As surely as God lives, and while he gives me breath, I will tell only the truth. Until the day I die, I will refuse to do wrong by saying you are right…
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
As I flipped through my prayer journal this morning, I found several instances where I have made the same requests to God… day after day, week after week. I asked Him many times, “Aren’t you ready for my Mam-ma Polly yet?” because I saw how miserable she was. I asked Him to intervene in other situations, and it seemed things never really got any better. I prayed for healing for a precious friend with breast cancer… and it came all right – when God suddenly called her home to heaven.
I have repeatedly brought the same requests before God, even though it appeared He was refusing to answer me. But the one thing I have not done is to blame God or to give up on believing for an outcome. If anything, I have learned to trust Him more than ever. Even as I would write, “Can’t Mam-ma come Home yet?” I knew he was gently laughing and shaking His head at me in a fatherly way. He was saying, “Oh, sweetie… I hear you… but we’re on MY time – not yours.” So I refused to say (even to myself), “God is so mean for leaving my grandmother here in a failing body without the ability to speak and communicate.” I would not let the devil have the pleasure of knowing that even for one minute I questioned God. Yes, I asked for mercy for her… but I trusted God’s impeccable timing and outcome. And even this week as I looked at how the last days, weeks and hours of my grandmother’s life unfolded, I see God’s hand in the minute details - as well as the big picture.
As I pray for other people and situations, I learn more every day how important it is for me to step aside and let God work. He wants us to bring our petitions before Him. He doesn’t mind that I make the same requests virtually every day for certain persons and circumstances. But God expects me to lift my concerns to Him… then trust Him to handle them. Believe me, on some fronts it would be incredibly easy to throw up my hands and say, “Go ahead, devil! Take this (or them)… I’m done, and it looks like maybe God is, too!” But this is not my call. Throwing in the towel and living as we please because we didn’t exactly get our way with God is not the mark of integrity… or of a faith-filled Christian!
Yes, there are days when we feel a little desperate. But Christians do not abide by the tenet that “desperate times call for desperate measures.” To the contrary, desperate times call for a renewed resolve to trust in God and maintain our faith… and our integrity. If you feel a little desperate today, stop and think about Job and how he was tested. Consider all that Jesus endured on the cross for your sins… and the promise of eternity with Him in heaven. Then ask yourself whether giving up – or giving in – are really viable options.
God is still God. He still sits on the throne and is still very much in charge. Will you recognize this? Will you behave as if it were so? Will others always see in you a person of integrity… at all times and in all situations? Will you allow God complete control of your life and all outcomes? Will you demonstrate to others God’s power in your life to reject the devil’s advances…to refuse to concede defeat? How principled are you? Whose camp are you really in… and is it apparent to others?
©2013 Debbie Robus
