So what should we do?
1Peter 5
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever an d ever. Amen.
Why is getting this turning to God thing so important?
Because we have an adversary! We have an enemy! He is looking for those who are not steadfast in the faith so he might devour them.
Everyone in this life suffers on some level.
Job said, “A man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.” Sin and Satan make sure that there is plenty of suffering to go around.
Christians are not protected against suffering either. This cuts to an entitlement attitude in Christianity.
God does not owe us a perfectly convenient life absent of all suffering. He is not obligated to guarantee we get the perfect family we dreamed up with no problems along the way. He is not obligated to give us the perfect job according to what would be most convenient to us according to our own wisdom.
If we allow ourselves to think that such is true we will inevitably become bitter with God and angry that things have not worked out as we think that they should, and instead of hearts of humility that turn to God, we will find ourselves resisting God and running into the arms of the world and Satan.
But when we walk in true humility we resist the devil and take our stand steadfast in the faith!
Notice what Peter said, “Knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
In other words you and I are not the first people to suffer and we will not be the last and the thing we are going through is not unique to just us as though we were the only ones to ever experience it.
With so many Christians throughout the world suffering why wouldn’t God go ahead and end all suffering for them?
May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
What sets us apart from this world is the manner by which we endure hardship and suffering as compared to those without faith. Our resolve to trust God and our ability to walk in humility before Him receiving the grace He gives us to do so, serves as an amazing testimony to those outside the faith.
Not only that but it further establishes us and perfects us in our being more like Christ. God is to be our only source. He is enough for those who th rough humility have learned to turn to Him in all things.
Tim Atchley
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About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
