Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
--1 Peter 4:16
You and I will never be immune to the trials and suffering that come with living in this world because we live in a world that is in pain. We live in a world that is cursed and contaminated by sin.
As a result, there are times when will find ourselves caught in the crossfire of severe trials such as death, disease, pain… and even persecution for our faith.
Now, God never promised to keep us out of the crossfire. But what he did promise was that when we’re in the crossfire, he’d be there with us!
Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? When everyone was ordered to bow down to the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar, these three young men refused. They refused to compromise their faith. And the king had them thrown into a fiery furnace as a result!
And you probably remember what happened next. God was there in the fire with them!
And the same is true for you as a follower of Jesus Christ. Whenever you’re caught in the crossfire of a trial or persecution for your faith, remember that the Lord Jesus is there with you. No, it may not always feel like he’s there, but he is, working out his perfect plan for your life.
I hope this encourages you no matter what crossfire you find yourself in today… or in the days to come.
WHENEVER YOU’RE CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE, REMEMBER THAT JESUS IS WITH YOU.
Friday, August 02, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
2 Samuel 18:32–33
In his poem Maud Muller, John Greenleaf Whittier described a chance meeting between a wealthy young man destined for a courtroom and a poor country girl destined for a farm. They met at a well and shared a drink of water on a hot summer day. Each recognized something special in the other, but the difference between their stations made them go their separate ways. The poem ends with both of them looking back at how things would have changed had they stayed together.
Alas for maiden, alas for Judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!
God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall;
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”
The tears that David wept over the death of his son were genuine, despite Absalom’s rebellion that threatened David’s very life. They were also most likely preventable. Absalom’s rebellion was, in large part, a response to David’s poor moral example and then his unwillingness to deal with Amnon’s (Absalom’s brother) sin against David’s daughter Tamar. If David had dealt with the issues arising from these situations, Absalom’s rebellion might have been prevented. Because David did not do so, he was left to weep over what he had not done. Take full advantage of every opportunity God places before you today.
Today's Growth Principle:
We should live so we can look back on the past with satisfaction instead of regret for what we failed to do.
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