Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. I had a friend of mine confide in me that it is extremely hard for him lately to do the right things. Yes it is but it’s also fulfilling to know that you are in the Lord’s will. Let’s go there today.
Today’s Prayer
Father, help us to see these days as a time of testing for all, and a time of purifying for Your church. The questions are: “Will we stand against evil in this spiritual battle as Jesus did in the wilderness, or will we take the easy way out and accommodate and accept it; and will we allow Your Word to be watered down and re-interpreted to extremes in order to embrace society’s every desire? Are we willing to sit by while society puts prosperity first and allows sin (by Your definition) to go unchecked?” Remind us that tolerance can be carried to such extremes that Christians have no convictions or commitments worth defending! Let us each seek Your will on bended knees, and give us the strength to live it out. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Let’s eat.
Suffering For Doing Good
1 Peter 3:13-22
Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.
Quote of the Day
We fail to see the place of suffering in the broader scheme of things. We fail to see that suffering is an inevitable dimension of life. Because we have lost perspective, we fail to see that unless one is willing to accept suffering properly, he or she is really refusing to continue in the quest for maturity. To refuse suffering is to refuse personal growth.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.