I thought that the material Selwyn has written, in today’s study – to be excellent.  A lot of Christians, I feel, say that they believe that God is with them as they daily follow Jesus – but they don’t live in a way that demonstrates the reality of their belief.

Consequently, I agree with Selwyn when he says: “We return to the thought that we can actually grow through misunderstanding. It hurts when it happens, but it has a way of causing us to depend on the Lord in a way that perhaps we have never quite done before.

… Ask Jesus to be your defence (regarding misunderstandings and other hurts). Don’t just think about it – talk to Him about it. Ask Him to take of you and then you can lie down at night knowing that although the tongue of your accuser might be busy, God is taking care of the situation.

Far too many of us forget that when we become Christians, we enter into the family of God. We have a new Father who delights in taking care of our (spiritual) needs and becoming involved in every detail of our lives. We are not orphans, we are children of the living God.”

I can’t stress this point enough – Jesus loves you – with all His life.  He is not a distant God, one who only checks on you every few years to see how you are going.  Rather, He is with you, all the time – He is so close to you that He can hear your every heartbeat. 

In 1 Peter 4:1-11 (NLT), we read about a different type of suffering – and one, that is not to be confused with the normal trials of life that everyone experiences. I’m talking about the hurts you experience, caused by others; because you are a Christian: ” … So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy – their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols (celebrities, status, money and consumer goods).

Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead, so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

At all times look for opportunities to respond in a Christ-like way, to the trials and misunderstandings that come our way – because we have only one life, to choose to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.

I also liked, today’s prayer: “O God, my Father help me grow gracefully, beautifully and creatively. Let everything that happens to me be used to increase Your likeness in me. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

Your thoughts?