1 Peter 4:1-8
Do you ever come across some Bible verses that make you uncomfortable such that you want to ignore them and move on? It’s warm and fuzzy to read about the birth of Christ, that God loves us, that God forgives us, the greatest of these is love, etc. It’s uncomfortable to read that Christ suffered in his body, that we are to arm ourselves against sin as a soldier arms himself for battle, we’re to put away our God-ignorant style of life, live for God, leave behind your friends that refuse to live for God, we are accountable to God, i.e., there will be judgment. Ouch, that hurts. But as uncomfortable as it may sound, there is difficulty and suffering in the life that God calls us to live.
God understands this suffering because he became one of us through Jesus and suffered just as we do with sin, even to the point of a horrific death. However, there is a prize to all of this. As the Olympians attained medals and the satisfaction of competing as a result of all their hard work and sacrifice, we too can feel satisfaction (although probably no medals) from a life in service to others as opposed to serving only ourselves. It may appear to hurt, but it isn’t necessarily painful. Arm yourself.
Written by Jim Morgan
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