"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me."
Isaiah 50:6-8
Last night someone asked me what my favorite scripture was. That's a hard question, but the one that I usually pull out when people ask me that is 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. It is a great scripture about how, with God, everything can be going wrong around us, and we can still be okay. This morning, when I was reading these verses, they struck me in a similar way.
We can suffer the shame of the world, and take it stoically, if we know that we are not ashamed before God. And because we refuse to be offended by the shaming of anyone else, we can then invite those same people to join us. God is our protection and our strength... instead of reacting badly when someone criticizes us, especially for our religious or spiritual beliefs, we can instead be ready with a reason for our happiness. And when people see that we can't be shamed away from God, and that it makes us happy rather than guilt-ridden, maybe they will look further, or want that kind of peace in the midst of chaos for themselves.
Today, let's remember that the only opinion that matters is God's. And let's stand up for his gospel, and our beliefs, treating others as friends, even if they started out treating us as enemies.
For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me."
Isaiah 50:6-8
Last night someone asked me what my favorite scripture was. That's a hard question, but the one that I usually pull out when people ask me that is 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. It is a great scripture about how, with God, everything can be going wrong around us, and we can still be okay. This morning, when I was reading these verses, they struck me in a similar way.
We can suffer the shame of the world, and take it stoically, if we know that we are not ashamed before God. And because we refuse to be offended by the shaming of anyone else, we can then invite those same people to join us. God is our protection and our strength... instead of reacting badly when someone criticizes us, especially for our religious or spiritual beliefs, we can instead be ready with a reason for our happiness. And when people see that we can't be shamed away from God, and that it makes us happy rather than guilt-ridden, maybe they will look further, or want that kind of peace in the midst of chaos for themselves.
Today, let's remember that the only opinion that matters is God's. And let's stand up for his gospel, and our beliefs, treating others as friends, even if they started out treating us as enemies.
Pretty good, thanks
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. :)
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