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THEREFORE,
LET THOSE ALSO WHO SUFFER ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD: hoste kai oi
paschontes (PAPMPN) kata to thelema tou theou:
(1Peter 3:17; Acts 21:11, 12, 13, 14)
Therefore - Always pause and ponder this
term of conclusion
as this discipline (slowing down and "chewing the cud" so to speak) will help you discern the meaning of the text in
context.
(for it allows your Teacher the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak
to you. If you "speed reading" or reading passively, you are much less
likely to hear the "still small voice" of the Spirit! In this context therefore sums
up the thought of the entire paragraph and specifically the effect
this somber truth about suffering should have on the attitude of believers.
Suffer (3958)
(pascho
[word study]) means to experience a sensation, to suffer pain or
experience something that falls to one's lot (good or ill). Note the
present tense
which describes suffering as a lifestyle (cp 2Ti 3:12-note,
Php 1:29-note,
1Pe 4:12-note).
Not just one bout of suffering but a "lifestyle" of suffering. The
cross always precedes the crown in God's economy.
Disciple's
Study Bible notes that...
The Creator permitted suffering in
His world when people sinned. Now sufferers tend to feel suffering
indicates God has forsaken them. Peter teaches us God is true to
Himself, to His people, and to His promises. Suffering simply calls us
to new commitment to Him and His way of life.
Though God made a good world, evil has become a part of it because of
sin. The works of wicked people sometimes cause good people to suffer.
Peter instructed his suffering readers to refrain from doubting God's
interest in or His ability to help them. A willingness to do God's
will, whatever the cost, is the only ultimate way to face the problem
of unexplained suffering. That will is not something new. It is the
Creator's eternal purpose. (Disciple's
Study Bible)
Dwight
Edwards...
Josh Billings once wrote, "Life is
a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up
depends on the stuff he's made of." I think this accurately portrays
the path of each man or woman's life. As the grinding edge of
undeserved suffering makes close contact with our lives, our response
will cause us to become either a more polished vessel ( i.e.,
Christlike), or else it will mar us with a deeper root of bitterness.
In short we will either become holy or bitter, depending on our
response to undeserved suffering. And so we are told that those who
suffer "according to the will of God" are not to be resentful but
rather are to "commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing,
as unto a faithful Creator."
According to
the will of God - Don't miss this qualifying statement. This
implies that the sovereign God allows the suffering. Suffering is
"filtered" through the fingers (anthropomorphically speaking) of our
Father Who loves us and has our good and His glory in view in allowing
the suffering. "According to the will of God"
also implies that we as believers should willingly submit to His will for
our life. Peter is not
referring to suffering in general as experienced by all of mankind,
but to suffering because one is a "Christian," a Christ follower.
Have you had this experience? Has your family ostracized
you because of your faith in Christ? Have they told you not to mention
the Name of "Jesus" in their presence (unless you mean to use it as a
curse word!)?
Related Topics:
Sovereignty of God
The Will of God- a summary
Know the will of God
D Edmond
Hiebert explains that...
Their suffering was "according to
God's will," "because of the name of Christ" (1Pe 4:14), "as a
Christian" (1Pe 4:16)—a suffering now regarded from the standpoint of
God's will. Behind the vicious activities of their enemies stood the
wise will of God. Peter sought to assure the readers that Christian
suffering "does not come at the caprice of blind chance or as the
predetermination of inexorable fate but as a divine discipline."
Assured that their suffering was in harmony with the divine will for
them, they were "not [to] quarrel with that wise and gracious will;
neither let them be discouraged, or grow faint and weary in their
Christian course." (First
Peter- D. Edmond Hiebert-
Recommended Commentary)
Oswald Chambers
expounds on this idea of suffering according to the will of God...
To choose to suffer means that
there is something wrong; to choose God’s will even if it means
suffering is a very different thing. No healthy saint ever chooses
suffering; he chooses God’s will, as Jesus did, whether it means
suffering or not. Be merciful to God’s reputation. It is easy to
blacken God’s character because God never answers back, He never
vindicates Himself. Beware of the thought that Jesus needed sympathy
in His earthly life; He refused sympathy from others because He knew
far too wisely that no one on earth understood what He was going
through. Notice God’s ‘waste’ of saints, according to the judgment of
the world. God plants His saints in some of the most useless places.
We say, ‘God intends me to be here because I am so useful.’ Jesus
never estimated His life along the line of the greatest use. God puts
His saints where they will glorify Him most, and we are no judges at
all of where that is. (1
Peter 4:19 Bible.org)
Will (2307)(thelema
from thelo = to will with
the "-ma" suffix indicating the result of the will = "a thing
willed") generally speaks of the result of what one has decided. One sees
this root word in the feminine name "Thelma." In its most basic form,
thelema refers to a wish, a strong desire, and the willing of some
event. (Note: See also the discussion of the preceding word
boule
for comments relating to thelema).
Peter has previously described suffering according to the will of God...
1Pet 3:17 For it is better, if God should
will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing
what is wrong.
Zodhiates
says that thelema is the...
Will, not to be conceived as a
demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that
which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes
God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something.
Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure.
(Zodhiates,
S. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. AMG)
Thelema
has both an objective meaning (“what one wishes to happen” or what is
willed) and a subjective connotation (“the act of willing or
desiring”). The word conveys the idea of desire, even a heart’s
desire, for the word primarily expresses emotion instead of volition.
Thus God’s will is not so much God’s intention, as it is His heart’s
desire.
Thelema -
62x in 58v - Mt 6:10; 7:21; 12:50; 18:14; 21:31; 26:42; Mark 3:35; Luke
12:47; 22:42; 23:25; Jn 1:13; 4:34; 5:30; 6:38, 39, 40; 7:17; 9:31;
Acts 13:22; 21:14; 22:14; Ro 1:10-note;
Ro 2:18-note;
Ro 12:2-note;
Ro 15:32-note;
1Cor 1:1; 7:37; 16:12; 2Cor 1:1; 8:5; Gal 1:4; Ep 1:1-note,
Ep 1:5-note,
Ep 1:9-note,
Ep 1:11-note;
Ep 2:3-note;
Ep 5:17-note;
Ep 6:6-note; Col
1:1-note,
Col 1:9-note;
Col 4:12-note; 1Th 4:3-note;
1Th 5:18-note; 2Ti 1:1-note;
2Ti 2:26-note; He 10:7-note,
He 10:9-note,
He 10:10-note,
He 10:36-note;
He 13:21-note; 1Pe 2:15-note;
1Pe 3:17-note;
1Pe 4:2-note,
1Pe 4:19-note; 2Pe 1:21-note; 1Jn 2:17; 5:14; Rev
4:11-note. NAS = desire(1), desires(1), will(57).
On September 15,
1732, the first two Moravian missionaries arrived in Copenhagen,
seeking a ship to the Danish West Indies. They found nothing but
opposition and discouragement. Even if they found a ship to take them
to St. Thomas, they were told, they would never be allowed to preach
to the slaves there. Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann replied they
would be willing to become slaves themselves if necessary (Read
the exciting details of how this transpired in
History of the Moravian Church). Their
suffering according to the will of God paved the way for the
Protestant era of world missions. (Missionaries
Against Terrible Odds)
ENTRUST
THEIR SOULS TO A FAITHFUL CREATOR: pisto ktiste paratithesthosan
(3PPMM)
tas psuchas
auton: (Ps 31:5;
37:5; Lk 23:46; Acts 7:59; 2Ti 1:12) (faithful: Ps 138:8; 146:5,6; Isa
40:27,28; 43:7,21; 51:12,13; 54:16,17; Col 1:16, 17, 18, 19, 20; Heb
1:2,3; Rev 4:10,11; 5:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
Entrust
their souls -
Entrust as
explained below is a banking term. The idea is they have "deposited"
their souls in God's trustworthy bank.
Have you made your deposit, my
friend? Have you committed your soul unto Him?
It's your choice. God won't force you. It requires an act of your
will. And it is an act of faith, for we cannot see the Creator,
but we can trust the Creator. (cp 2Cor 5:7-note,
2Cor 4:18-note,
Ps 121:1-note,
Ps 121:2-note).
The next time you encounter suffering for His Name's sake, step out in
faith in the sovereign power and purpose of the same God Who flung the
stars into the sky with just a word (cp Heb 11:3-note).
That same God continues to upholds "all things by the word of His
power" (Heb 1:3-note).
You can trust Him implicitly and
eternally!
Steven Cole explains that...
As Christians, we should
entrust
ourselves to God in trials (1Pe 4:19).
Where else can we go?
If we suffer for our faith in Christ, then we can know that it is
according to God’s will. Thus we can entrust ourselves to Him as the
faithful Creator and continue to do what is right. “Entrust” is a
banking term that meant to deposit one’s valuables to another for safe
keeping. Paul used the noun when he told Timothy,
I know whom I have believed and I
am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him
until that day” (2Ti 1:12-note)
It was the word Jesus uttered
from the cross when He expired:
Father, into Your hands I commit
[entrust] My spirit” (Luke 23:46)
This is the only time in the New
Testament God is called the Creator. If God created the
universe by the word of His power, He is able to guard your deposit
with Him and bring you safely to His heavenly kingdom (cp 1Pe 1:4-note,
1Pe 1:5-note).
That He is the faithful Creator shows that He cares enough to guard
you. So you can trust Him with your very life, even if evil men take
it away from you, and know that He won’t lose it. You demonstrate your
trust by continuing to do what is right when you suffer. You don’t
plot revenge on those who wrong you. You pray that God will save them
and know that if He doesn’t, He will judge them and exonerate you.
Trusting in God has fallen on hard times. We’re told today that
when we suffer, we need to express all our anger toward God or we
might do some psychological damage to ourselves. But trust the Lord?
Get practical! I am! Trusting in the Faithful Creator is the most
practical thing you can do when you’re going through a difficult
trial.
Compared to what martyrs and other
saints have suffered, I have not gone through much. But I can testify
that whenever I have suffered, especially when I’ve suffered for the
cause of Christ, I have grown closer to Christ, I have sensed His
abiding peace and good pleasure, and I’ve known His joy in a deeper
way than at any other time.
I just received a letter from a
friend who met the Lord at 41 out of a night club background in which
he was enslaved to drugs and alcohol. He went on to pastor a church
near me in Southern California, where I got to know him and enjoyed
many times of fellowship together. He’s now 72 and has just found out
that he has prostate cancer. He wrote,
“The result has been that the Lord
has provided many opportunities to share His sufficient grace with
saved and unsaved alike, especially young people.”
He mentions how his relationship
with his wife and with the Lord has deepened through this trial and
adds, “Hallelujah!”
You say, “That’s not natural!”
Precisely! Only God can bring such joy in the face of what the world
calls a crisis. As Christians, we can expect trials. Don’t be
surprised. More than that, by God’s power, we can exult in them if we
see the result God is accomplishing. When they hit, we should examine
ourselves more deeply and entrust ourselves to God more fully, knowing
that we are in His perfect will. Hard lessons about hard times—but our
God is faithful! (1 Peter 4:12-19 Hard Lessons About Hard Times)
Entrust
(3908)
(paratithemi
from para = near + tithemi = place)
literally means to place something beside, to set alongside or place
before someone. It was used in Greek meaning (a banking term) to give
someone something in trust and so to "deposit" with another. It
conveys the picture of a precious treasure being deposited as a trust
into the hands of other persons.
Note the
present imperative
which is a command calling for this attitude of entrusting to be one's
lifestyle.
The TDNT
has the following note regarding paratithemi writing that...
In the ancient Greek and Jewish
sphere, as well as the ancient Roman, one finds the legal device
whereby an object can be entrusted to another’s keeping for a specific
period. This object was to be kept free, unused and undamaged until
restoration. The trustworthiness of the trustee was thus most
important. But there was, too, a stringent penalty for embezzlement,
and the special wrath of the gods was also invoked. The legal formulae
soon came to be used in a transferred sense, e.g., “to entrust
someone to the care or protection of someone,” Diod. S., 17, 23, 5;
"to submit words as entrusted goods" (Ed note: as here in 2
Timothy)...(In the Septuagint paratithemi is used 42 times including
use as...) "a term in commercial law “to give money to someone for
safekeeping,”...The responsibility of the trustee for the money handed
to him is regulated in Exodus 22:7-13... When the psalmist in Psalm
31:5 prays "into Thy hands I commit [Lxx = paratithemi] my spirit", as
one who is persecuted, though innocent, he sets himself under the protection of the faithful
God." (Ed note: And of course our Lord Jesus quoted these very words
from the Cross as noted below)...(the Jewish Historian in using
paratithemi...) lays special emphasis on the honesty which, grounded
on fear of God and the conscience, must hold sway in trusts." The TDNT
appropriately adds that "All that man is and has he should regard as
something entrusted to him by God" (Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament)
(Bolding added)
Paratithemi
means to entrust or commit for safekeeping with the
implication that one was committing to another with confidence. It can
convey the idea of investing or charging someone with a duty or
responsibility. It can convey the idea of putting something into the
care or protection of someone. This is very similar to use of
paratithemi in classical Greek to describe anything being
deposited with a friend for the purpose of safekeeping.
Why would you deposit your "life savings" so to speak in
any bank?
It's because you trust the bank...it's been around a long
time and has a record of faithfulness. How much more than should we be
willing to deposit our very lives with our faithful Creator (we are
His possession anyway!). We are willing to do so because we know Whom
we have believed (2Ti 1:12-note). Be diligent to study God's Word
of Truth (2Ti 2:15-note) to truly know His character
and then you are less likely to be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is in His
sovereign will
and has a holy purpose. Let me suggest a painless way to become
familiar with God's attributes - Study the
Names of the LORD, for inherent in His glorious Names is the progressive, relatively
easily "digested" revelation of His character.
Dwight
Edwards writes that...
When suffering comes we all look
for some source of comfort and, if possible, relief. There are many
things into which a man can deposit his soul in order to alleviate the
pains and heartaches of life. Money, alcohol, sports, business, even a
favorite hobby can all be used to temporarily stifle the cries of the
soul. Yet all these things are really ruthless bankers because they
promise much but never fully keep their bargain. And so we are being
told that in the midst of suffering, we need to be sure and "deposit"
our soul into the hands of God. He alone is a faithful banker who will
abundantly increase the value of our life.
A good example of this is given to
us by Christ as He was dying on the cross. He was offered a stupefying
drink of vinegar and gall in order to lessen the pain of the cross.
Yet He refused this drink and was willing to experience to full pain
of the cross. There are many drinks which this world holds out for us
that we might deaden the pain of the cross by "depositing" our souls
with one of them. Yet, like Christ it will be to our eternal benefit
to "deposit" our soul only with God, no matter the cost.
The proof positive that we have sincerely made this divine transaction
will be our "well doing" in the midst of suffering. The natural
reaction of undeserved suffering is retaliation, yet God is calling us
to a lifestyle which exemplifies that of Christ's, "Who when He was
reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but
committed Himself to Him that judges righteously" (1Pe 2:23-note).
My soul wait
thou upon God;
for my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation:
He is my defense; I shall not be moved
Psalm 62:5-6
(note)
Warren
Wiersbe explains that the idea of leaving our deposit with God for
safekeeping ties in...
beautifully with the “gold”
illustration in 1Peter 1:7 (note).
God sends the fiery trial to burn away the dross, and we commit
ourselves to Him for safekeeping, knowing that He cannot fail us. We
can be sure that God will “pay interest” on our deposit. But note that
we commit ourselves in doing good; that is, we commit ourselves to God
as we obey His Word. This is a daily and hourly surrender, living to
please Him and serving others. Christians will go through fiery trials
before Christ returns. The world situation will not get better.
Attitudes toward Christians will not improve. The world has always
hated the name of Christ and will continue to hate it. If we identify
ourselves with the name of Christ, the world will hate us (John
15:18-21). If we compromise, we will escape persecution, but we will
also miss the blessing and glory of sharing Christ’s sufferings.
(Wiersbe,
W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton,
Ill.: Victor Books)
John Piper agrees with this reasoning writing that
"The purpose of good theology is to
build and sustain great trust in God. In all Christian suffering Satan
is seeking to devour faith (1Peter 5:8; 5:9-see notes
1 Peter 5:8;
5:9). God is seeking to test and
refine faith (1Peter 4:12-note). God's great purpose in all our suffering will be
accomplished when we do what Jesus did in the agony of the cross when
he cried out (Lk 23:46, cp 1Peter 2:23-
note),
"Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit." He entrusted himself to
a faithful Creator. According to 2Cor 1:9 God's purpose in suffering
is to cause us to rely no longer on ourselves but utterly on him who
raises the dead. (See full sermon
The Holy Spirit will Help You Die - 1 Peter
4:12-19)
OUR FAITHFUL
CREATOR
Ps 146:5 How blessed is he whose
help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God; 6 Who
made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps
faith forever;
Spurgeon comments: This God
who still makes the world by keeping it in existence is assuredly able
to keep us to His eternal kingdom and glory. The making of the worlds
is the standing proof of the power and wisdom of that great God in
Whom we trust. It is our joy that he not only made heaven, but the
sea; not only things which are bright and blessed, but things which
are deep and dark. Concerning all our circumstances, we may say the
Lord is there. In storms and hurricanes the Lord reigneth as truly as
in that great calm which rules the firmament above.
Who keeps faith forever.
This is a second and most forcible justification of our trust: the
Lord will never permit His promise to fail. He is true to His own
nature, true to the relationships which He has assumed, true to His
covenant, true to His Word, true to His Son. He keeps true, and is the
Keeper of all that is true. Immutable fidelity is the character of
Jehovah's procedure. None can charge Him with falsehood or
vacillation.
Faithful (trustworthy) (4103)
(pistos
[word study])
from peítho = to
persuade - induce one by words to believe, have confidence) is
something or someone who is worthy of faith or keeps promises and is
applied to God, humans, His Word, etc
Phrase "God is faithful" =
1Cor 1:9, 1Cor 10:13, 2Cor 1:18. See also God's
Faithfulness
Here in Peter, pistos
conveys the basic idea of that which is
trustworthy. In this sense pistos describes God, Christ, servants,
His Word as faithful, reliable, worthy of belief or trust,
dependable. Marvin Vincent adds that pistos used of God describes Him
as "True to his own nature and promises; keeping faith with Himself
and with man."
Vincent also gives a nice
summary (expanded in the discussion that follows) of the meaning of
pistos, faithful, writing that it is used
"(1), of one who shows Himself
faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Mt
24:45). Hence, trustworthy (2Ti
2:2). Of things that can be relied upon (2Ti
2:11). (2), Confiding; trusting; a believer (Gal
3:9;
Acts16:1; 2Cor 6:15; 1Ti 5:16)" (Word
Studies in the New Testament)
Webster says that "Faithful"
means firm in adherence to whatever one owes allegiance and implies
unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to the oath or promise by
which a tie was contracted.
To a faithful Creator - This phrase is actually at the beginning of
the Greek which gives it emphasis. Young's Literal version is a more
accurate rendering of the Greek word order - " as to a stedfast
Creator, let them commit their own souls in good doing."
A faithful Creator -
Faithfulness is God's attribute of utter dependability, the antithesis
of everything fickle and fluctuating in the world around us. In 2Timothy 2:13
(note)
Paul says that faithfulness is a corollary of His self-consistency.
Because God is faithful, His promises are infallibly reliable (Hebrews
10:23-note).
Faithful is He Who calls
you, and He also will bring it to pass. (see note
1Thessalonians 5:24)
Spurgeon offers a few
thoughts (from various of his sermons, devotionals and expositional
comments) on our faithful Creator...
We must be tried or we cannot
magnify the faithful God, who will not leave His people.
In life and death we prove the
attributes of God’s righteousness. We find that He does not lie but is
faithful to His Word.
Tested believer, the Lord
will be as faithful to you as He has been to me. The Lord
will
not fail you. Do not be discouraged,
the eternal God is your
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms (Dt 32:27).
The heavenly sun shines on in
eternal brightness. You have a possession that is
unfading,
a promise that is unfailing, and a Protector who is unchanging. Though
you live in a faithless world, you dwell in a faithful
God.
There is love, immortal and
unchanging love, in heaven toward you, which will never grow cold. You
will be helped. God would sooner cease to be than cease to be
faithful. Be of good courage, for today He will strengthen your
heart.
Eternal faithfulness performs what
eternal wisdom declares. Shall God lie? Is he a man as thou art? Will
he deceive? Will he falsely promise, and then run from his word? That
be far from him, and let it be far from us thus to blaspheme his name
by such a thought. Come, then, child of God, thou who knowest him, if
he has said, “I will help thee,” he will help thee. If he says, “I
will strengthen thee,” he will strengthen thee. Believe God, without
the trace of doubt; and “be of good courage, and he shall strengthen
your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”
“Great is Your faithfulness,”
(Lam 3:23, cp La 3:21, 22, 23, 24)
- So great that there has never been an exception. Through the ages,
our God has had billions of people to deal with. Yet there does not
stand under heaven’s cover, or above the stars, or in hell itself a
single soul who can say that God is not absolutely faithful. No item
in the list of our divine promises is unfulfilled. God remembers every
promise that He ever made, and He honors each in the experience of
those who believe in Him. They who trust in the Lord will find Him
faithful, not only in great things, but also in little things. His
faintest word will stand firm and steadfast. His least truth will
never grow dim. The glory of God’s faithfulness is that no sin of ours
has ever made Him unfaithful. Unbelief is a damning thing, yet even
when we do not believe, God is faithful. His children might rebel.
They might wander far from His statutes and be chastened with many
stripes. Nevertheless, He says,
My lovingkindness I will not
utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My
covenant
I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips”
(Psalm. 89:33, 34).
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
(play
hymn)
Great is Thy faithfulness, O
God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and
springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
How has God
shown Himself to be faithful to you and your family in the past? How
can you make sure you'll remember? With whom can you talk about it
today? Precious memories
of yesterday's divine faithfulness gives power to endure today's
trials! Trials will come and go in everyone's life, but God's
faithfulness is unchanging and sure.
Do you believe that statement is
Biblical?
Trusting God's faithfulness
dispels
our fearfulness.
Notice that
the spiritual "antidote" for fear (of man) is faith (in God)!
Satan traffics in the realm of doubt, God in the realm of faith. Stay
in the Word. Better yet, let the Word stay in you, and your faith will
be buoyed up by the Spirit of God Who utilizes the Word you have
treasured in your heart (see Ro 10:17-note,
Ps 119:11-note,
see source of Job's strength in face of overwhelming trials = Job
23:12-note,
see also
Memorizing His Word
and
Biblical Meditation)
Related
Resource:
Fear, How to Handle It
IN DOING
WHAT IS RIGHT: en agathopoiia (1Peter
2:15; Esther 4:16; Jer 26:11, 12, 13, 14, 15; Da 3:16, 17, 18;
6:10,11,22; Ro 2:7)
1Pet 2:15 For such is the will of
God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Doing what is
right
(16) (agathopoiia
[only found here in Bible]
from agathopoieo
from agathos
= good, benevolent + poieo
= to do, perform) is a noun which means well-doing, in context living
in the right way or doing as a helpful action. BDAG =
"engagement in doing what is good,"
F B Meyer
(in Our Daily Walk) in a devotional on 1Peter 4:19 wrote that...
The more one ponders these words,
the more wonderful they appear! That God is faithful is as clear as
noonday. He is faithful in the return of the seasons and the
orbit-order of the stars; faithful in holding back the flood, that it
should not overflow the world and destroy the homes of men; faithful
to every living creature that He has made, providing for its exact
sustenance. Even the odd sparrow, which Christ must have seen thrown
in by the dealer, when His Mother bought four others, does not fall to
the ground without His notice. God is the Faithful Creator in the
heavens above and in the earth beneath. We are not surprised,
therefore, to find His faithfulness the theme of Holy Writ; but why
does Peter lay emphasis on His faithfulness as Creator, when
ministering to the special circumstances of suffering believers? Is
not this the reason? We are apt to concentrate our thoughts on the
Birth, the Cross, the Grave, the Intercession of our Lord, and to
forget that behind all these, deep in the nature of God--the Almighty
Creator--there are ever-welling fountains of faithfulness, love, and
tenderness. We are summoned to go back beyond the story of Redemption
to the infinite silence of Eternity, when each of us was a distinct
thought in the mind of God. In His book, all our members were written,
when as yet there was none of them.
Whether we have realised that eternal purpose is open to serious
questioning, but everyone of us has a right to look into the face of
God, and say
"Thine hands have made me, and
fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn Thy
commandments."
We may not question God's dealings
with us. They are immutably wise and right. But we may claim that in
some way He should make good our deficiencies, so that though
sorrowful, we should be always rejoicing; though poor we should make
many rich; though having nothing, we should scatter our wealth, as
though possessing all things. There is no reason why our life should
be a failure, no reason why we should not minister richly to others,
no reason why, by His grace, we should not be more than conquerors! We
may humbly make this claim on the Almighty Creator, and He will not
allow His faithfulness to fail!
PRAYER: Help us to commit ourselves to Thee in well-doing, O God, our
Faithful Creator. May we find a solace for our own griefs and
disappointments, in sympathy and ministry to others. AMEN.
God Hath Not Promised
Annie
Johnson Flint
Click Biography
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the laborer, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
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When You're Betrayed -
One of the toughest tests we face while serving God is betrayal.
I saw it happen to a loving pastor. He encouraged a gifted
teenager in his congregation to go to Bible school. He arranged
for financial support. He continued to mentor the young man
after graduation, letting him preach on occasion.
But then the graduate began to undermine the pastor with
innuendo and criticism. Finally the heartbroken minister left.
Then the young man announced himself as a candidate for pastor
of the church.
Jesus knew about betrayal. He invested 3 years into the lives of
His 12 disciples, one of whom was Judas. Jesus had taught him,
performed miracles before his eyes, and even washed his feet.
Yet Judas sold his allegiance for 30 pieces of silver. When
Jesus predicted His own betrayal in John 13:18, He quoted David,
who also knew what it was like to have a friend turn on him (Ps.
41:9).
Knowing that He would be betrayed, Jesus continued to do what
the Father wanted Him to do. He taught us by example to serve
people because we love and obey God, not because we want to be
appreciated.
Have you been betrayed? Find comfort in knowing that true
fulfillment comes in doing the will of God. — by David C. Egner
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
When people turn against you
In spite of all you do,
Remember Christ's rejection
And all He's done for you.
—Anon.
If you are betrayed,
leave it with God.
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Nothing to Do But Pray
- For Lorraine Fusco, it may have seemed that her useful days on
earth were behind her. Cancer struck at the base of her brain
and traveled down her spine, paralyzing her completely. Tubes
were used to feed her and help her breathe. The only voluntary
movement she could make was to open and shut her eyes and mouth.
There certainly wasn’t much Lorraine could do, but she refused
to sulk and turn sour, or to bemoan her fate and curse her
condition.
According to her husband, pastor Bill Fusco, she became a prayer
warrior and a shining light of hope. During one stay in the
hospital, she so influenced two workers with her joyous outlook
that they put their trust in Christ. Later, while her husband
served as a college president, she spent entire days praying for
each student.
When death finally claimed her, she left a powerful testimony.
Lorraine lived joyfully for God despite her trials. She saw her
suffering as part of God’s will—and she gave every ounce of her
energy to serving Him (1 Pet. 4:19). She could do nothing but
pray and live joyously, but that was enough.
We all have limitations. If we focus on them, we’ll find that
serving God is a chore. But if we focus on what we can do, we’ll
make an impact for His kingdom. by Dave Branon
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
There may be nothing you can
do but pray,
But through your prayer there's something God can do:
The ones for whom you intercede may feel
The touch of God upon their life anew.
—Hess
You'll accomplish far more by focusing on your abilities
instead of your limitations. |
