When Love Comes to Town

I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice as they pierced his side
but I've seen love conquer the great divide

Bono

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

Romans 1:16-17

Paul starts the theology of his letter to the Romans by declaring his affirmation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it's power. In the scope of Paul's letter, verses 16 and 17 serve as his thesis statement. The righteous shall live by faith. In the following verses, Paul will show how the attempts of both Jew and Gentile have failed in reaching salvation, how the law condemns men, and the role of Christ in the salvation of mankind.

First, lets look at verses 16 and 17. Paul defines the gospel as "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." It is important to note this distinguishing feature of Christianity. In every other religion, man has the power to save himself. It is with this declaration the church sets itself apart from other faiths that enslave sinful men in their attempts to please their gods. The gospel in short, has the power to save, because it is from God. This power that Paul speaks of is not the power of God in say, his omnipotence or in his creating. It is the power to overcome the sinfulness of man and bring him to repentance. One of the biggest lies in the church today is the lie that men choose to believe without the power of God intervening in their hearts. It is precisely this power to save that turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, that causes men to be born again, that preserves and keeps the saints from falling, and that sanctifies the believer, transforming him into the image of Christ. Many Christians believe a gospel that says man has a free will to choose Christ and all one needs to do is accept Him. If this lie were true, then the gospel would hold no power to save. The salvation of man would lie in his free ability to make a choice. This is a direct contradiction of John 6:44 and many other passages. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." Jesus says that we cannot come to him, unless the Father draws us. Those that believe the lie of free will would say that the Father draws all men, but that is foolishness. Many are called, but few are chosen. If the Father drew all men, then is He powerless to save, since not all believe? What is his purpose in drawing men if He doesn't also give them the gift of faith and repentance? It is this power that Paul refers to. The power of God, to bring those in the dark into the light. So why is this power necessary, you may ask? Why can't man freely choose to follow Christ? Paul answers that question in Romans 8:7-8. "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." It is this power of the gospel that stands in opposition to the power of man. Man is powerless to save himself. We can't be good enough to stand in front of God's holiness. Left to ourselves, we are hostile to God. Note that Paul says the natural man is incapable of pleasing God. Your works are like menstrual rags to God. This includes "accepting Christ" as your personal savior. The ultimate way to please God is to believe in His Son and we are helpless without God's power.

Paul notes that this power came to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. Many believers exalt Israel and the Jews as God's special children, yet God is not in the business of dividing but unifying His people. True, it was to the Jews that God gave the covenants, the law, the land, the prophets, and the promises. It was from them that Christ came and that salvation came to Judea, Samaria, and all the earth. Here, Paul makes no distinction between the two, for in God's saving power, there is only one way to Him, and that is through the provision of His Son.

It is this power, that Paul marvels, and boasts in. Those that are wolves in sheep's clothing, leading the church astray, are ashamed of the gospel because they refuse to preach the gospel. Not only are they ashamed to preach it, they are ashamed to submit to it, living a lie, preaching a false gospel for worldly gain. The power of the gospel should never elicit a spirit of fear, yet these cowardly preachers are not the only ones that are ashamed. It has become a popular thing to ridicule Christianity and believers live in fear of being viewed as intolerant or uncool. Paul was not worried about being viewed as intolerant or uncool. To be shunned was a badge of honor; persecuted, a crown of gold; martyred, being glorified to the highest. How dare we be ashamed of the power of God to save!

In verse 17, Paul transitions to the details of the power of God to save. It is righteousness from faith. As said earlier, the natural man is incapable of pleasing God. Sin has spiritually killed men, enslaving them to it's powers, making them hostile to God, and condemned in His sight. All are guilty because all have fallen short of the glory of God. In Romans 6:23, Paul says "the wages of sin are death." Our wage for all our work is death. The gospel and its power has saved men by making them alive and then bestowing upon them the power of the Holy Spirit, to believe and repent, and then counting them righteous. This gift of righteousness was secured by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection and is given to all who believe. It is the power of God to predestine sons in the image of the firstborn, Christ, the power of the firstborn to pay the penalty incurred by those God predestined, and the power of the Holy Spirit to turn their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, and to call them into faith. And it is by this faith, that we are imputed as righteous. By imputation and reputation, Christ is the chief of all sinners because he bore our sin. By imputation, we are counted righteous and are then justified before God because we bear Christ's blood. What man could not do on His own, God did for us and is revealed in the life of the church.

When You Got A Good Friend

When you got a good friend that will stay right by your side.
When you got a good friend that will stay right by your side
Give her all of your spare time love and treat her right

Robert Johnson

11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— ¹²that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.¹³I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Romans 1:11-15

The passage here show us a few things about what it means to live in Christ within the community of His church. I have often heard people say that the way to Christ does not involve the church. Many have been burned by other christians, myself included, yet that is no excuse to disassociate with the church, for Christ and the church are one. You cannot live a life of faith that is pleasing to God without living among and in fellowship with His holy church. I recently had a friend tell me that he didn't need church. He never told me why he didn't need it, but he did tell me that if he couldn't figure things out on his own, then he considered himself a failure. Oh, how more wrong he could be. He has already failed! In taking that step of faith, he has done it without Christ, for had he made a step of faith with Christ, he would love what Christ loves.1 Paul sees that the gospel is bound by community with Christ's followers which is why his faith is strengthened when he is around God's people.

As a pastor, Paul longs to minister to God's people. Note, he doesn't say he longs to see Rome or anyone else. He longs to see the christians of Rome, and this longing is prompted by love. As Martin Luther states, "The same longing is found in every faithful shepherd who does not seek what the sheep possess, but seeks only the sheep themselves; and this desire is prompted solely by love." By his own example he shows us the motivations of brotherly love in Christ and this should motivate our thinking and desires when we seek fellowship with the body of Christ.

The spiritual gift that Paul speaks of imparting is not a functional gift as we would find in 1 Corinthians 12. Rather, it is the exercising of a functional gift and the benefits received in relation to ministry. We all have gifts that God has given us to strengthen the body of Christ. It is our duty to exercise these gifts in love and not in any form of carnality that would lead to self promotion. One thing that must be stated in regards to spiritual gifts. They were given to strengthen, to sharpen, and to exhort believers. Their use in any other capacity, such as speaking tongues without an interpreter, are a perversion and misuse of the gift. Paul is clear that he seeks to impart this gift to strengthen the believers in Rome. By doing so, he strengthens his own faith, because as the Proverb states, "Iron sharpens iron."2

In verses 13-15, Paul states his intent to come to Rome and the prevention of his coming. We can presume that he was ultimately prevented from going to Rome by God, for we know from Acts and this letter, that Paul felt his ministry leading him to Rome. Often, our ideas of what we want to do and where we want to go are not God's. Instead of being frustrated, Paul exemplifies godly patience, in waiting for the Lord. We are commanded numerous times to 'wait on the Lord.' It is in our nature not to wait, to bite back at God, and demand that He give us what we think we need. Our culture brainwashes us into thinking we are far more important than we really are. We are bombarded with messages that tell us to have it our way and that our desires should be acted on. This impulsiveness did not plague Paul and it should not plague us. Though Paul felt obligated to preach Christ and to reap a harvest among the gentiles, Paul knew his place in God's kingdom and knew that all the works of his hands are frivolous wastes of time without first waiting on direction from the Lord.

Paul's obligation to preach is bound in his debt. He is indebted to Christ to minister to Jew and Gentile alike. We, too, are obliged to preach the gospel to both believer and non-believer alike, for we too are indebted to Christ. This preaching of the gospel refers to so much more than how we use are words. We see in the passage that Paul equates ministering and preaching to imparting of spiritual gifts in order to strengthen. His example not only shows the Romans of his sincerity in coming to them, but serves to show us how we are to serve one another, with humility and love. And with this powerful statement, Paul closes his introduction to the Roman church.

1.Ephesians 5:25-27

2. Proverbs 27:17

As Ugly As I Seem

I am as ugly as I seem
Worse than all your dreams
Could ever make me out to be
And it makes me want to scream

Jack White

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you ¹⁰always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

Romans 1:8-10

The mark of true Christian joy is to first and foremost, praise God for the good that we see in others and to rejoice with them. As Christians, when we receive praise, we should quickly redirect praise to God, for it is from God that all good things flow and from Him we bear fruit that is pleasing. Nowhere in scripture is this more explicit than in John 3:21. "But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." We know that no good comes from ourselves which is why we have no reason to boast. News of the faith of the Roman church had spread throughout the empire and Paul sees the sovereign work of God in bringing His people into the light. Martin Luther states, "Christian love manifests itself in this, that it rejoices at every good thing that it sees in others, especially in their spiritual blessings, and thanks God for them." Oh, how I have envied everything from material possessions to spiritual blessings from both my brothers and sisters in Christ to those that do not believe. Oh, how I have envied attention and praise from mortal men. Father, forgive us all for seeking the glory of men and comparing ourselves to others, for taking our eyes off the goodness You have bestowed to us and desired what others have. May we live like Paul, who though he did not plant the Roman church or disciple its leaders, saw fit to praise You for your glory and rejoice with them. Help me to rejoice in my brother's good news and like Paul, let my rejoicing glorify You and inspire my brother to continue to press on in faith, toward You.

The mark of true Christian witness is a life of prayer and intercession without ceasing. Just as Christ is interceding for us on our behalf, so we must intercede for our brothers and sisters, our natural families, and for the lost. We are to pray for the good of all because of the love of Christ that seeks the good of all. How often does the bulk of our time in prayer focus on ourselves? How often do we pray small minded materialistic prayers? How often do our prayers get lost in the recesses of our mind as we lose focus on the task at hand? Prayer is not something to be taken lightly. Jesus often snuck away to a place of solitude to pray for hours at a time. What keeps us from practicing this? I find myself thinking all sorts of things, from checking off my to do list to wondering what's for dinner, when I pray. Oh, to be like the Apostle Paul, that I would value the art of prayer and intercede for those that most desperately need intercession instead of worrying about myself and my temporal desires! When looking at myself in the mirror of God's holiness, any reason I thought I had to boast is exposed and I see the desperate sinner that I am. I am reminded of the lyric from the Caedmon's Call song, My Calm/Your Storm: "I wanna kill this thief that steals life from me and kill myself, the Pharisee." Let us all look in the mirror and the ugliness that we see, let that draw us all the more fervently to our Redeemed Lord, Jesus Christ, who has saved us from this ugliness and like Paul and the Roman Church, let our faith not only be a light to our brothers and sisters, that we are rejoicing with and interceding for, but also to a lost world that does not have the hope we have in Christ.

I am the Light of this World

I am the light of this world

Prayer is the key of heaven
And faith unlock the door
That's why my God give me the key
And he told me to carry it everywhere I go

Rev. Gary Davis

³concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, ⁷To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:3-7

The Gospel, which was promised beforehand through the Holy Scriptures and the prophets, concerns God's Son, Jesus Christ. In regards to the humanity of Christ, he descended from the great king David, of whom there is more scripture attributed to, than anyone else, including Jesus. It was with David that God made a covenant that is detailed in 1 Chronicles 17:11-14.

When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.'"

While it was David's son, Solomon who built the temple in Jerusalem, this prophecy cannot be attributed to him alone because it was Solomon's idolatry that caused the Lord to raise Jeroboam to split the kingdom in two after Solomon's death. Solomon's throne in Judah ended in a Babylonian exile. We also see earlier in the text in 1 Chronicles that the Lord promises David to "appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more."1 The entirety of the Jewish people were subjected to two exiles, the first being the Assyrian exile of the Northern Kingdom in 740 B.C. and the Babylonian exile of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in 597 B.C. How does one reconcile God's promises to David in light of these facts? We must deduce that these prophecies are in regards to the Messiah. It is Christ, a descendant of David in the flesh, who reigns now, who after His baptism, the heavens opened and God said, "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased." The Promised Land, portrayed in the Old Testament as Canaan, is the place of God's blessing. Christ's kingdom is not defined in physical realms and the anthropomorphic language used to describe His kingdom should not be mistaken as the modern day country of Israel. The house that Christ built for the Father is the church, for whom Christ died. It is in this light we see this prophecy being fulfilled by Jesus and can definitively attribute the countless other prophecies to David's eternal throne by the sovereign reign of Christ Jesus, whose kingdom cannot be rivaled nor taken away from Him.

It also of the utmost importance to note that Christ, who was before all things and created all things, emptied Himself, gave Himself a beginning, and became a man from the seed of David. It was through this humiliation that He became like us in every way, to be made a worthy sacrifice for our sins, to be subject to the weakness of flesh, and die a gruesome death on the cross and then ascended to Heaven, to take his rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. While Christ was always the Son of God, notice Paul doesn't use the same language in detailing His humiliation and glorification. Christ descended from David according to the flesh, but was declared the Son of God by the Spirit of Holiness by His resurrection. It was at the resurrection that Christ was exalted and His ascension marked the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit, who glorifies Christ. It was this very public conquering of death and glorification by the Holy Spirit that declares that Christ is indeed the Son of God.

It was from Christ, the Son of God, that Paul receives grace and his role as apostle. Paul does not write to the Romans bearing his own name or his own ideas, but bearing the name of Christ. It is the name of Christ that should garner the trust of the readers not the name of Paul. It is the name of Christ that is to be exalted. It is the obedience of faith that Paul is seeking to strengthen. This obedience of faith serves two purposes for the church. The first is the glorification of God. The second is the justification of the believer. The latter we will deal with at a later time. It is the obedience of faith that glorifies God because the church bears His name and all our good works in the light can be seen to be wrought by God for His own glory. The most important thing to God is His glory. It is far more important to Him than any man. It is the church, the house that Christ built, that bears the name of God. God is glorified when the church lives out its purpose to be obedient to God's commands. It is the city on a hill, that shines it's lights for all men, that glorifies God. As the church bears the name of God, we see similarities in the Jewish temple. At the dedication of the first temple, Solomon says that it was built for the Lord's name. It was the temple that was purposed to be house of prayer for all people and a light to the gentile nations, a beacon of hope in a dark world. Words cannot be written to describe the glory the Lord receives when the objects that bear His holy name serve their holy purposes.

The next question is who are those that bear Christ's name and how does one come to do so? It is those that were first loved by God. Paul is explicit in placing God's love before calling because it is God's love that leads to the calling. Of calling, Jesus says "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."2 It is those called that the Father gave to Christ and all that were given, will come. The impetus here is on the God, who saves, and is due all the glory for those that are saved. It is to those that have the right to be called saints and receive grace and peace from the risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

1. 1 Chronicles 17:9

2. John 6:37

Message of Love

Well I travel at the speed of a reborn man. I got a lot of love to give, from the mirrors of my hand. I sent a message of love

Jimi Hendrix

¹Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures

Romans 1:1-2

An Introduction

If there is one book of the Bible that is to be considered essential,(for the sake of argument, all books are inspired by the Holy Spirit and are of equal importance to the preaching of the Gospels and the sanctification of the church), that book would be Paul's letter to the Romans. It was the book of Romans that sparked the fire in Martin Luther's life and ignited the flames of the Protestant Reformation. Romans has one central theme. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

I have read Romans many times throughout my journey with the Lord. Every time I seem to find something that I did not quite see before. Much like Luther, it was the Book of Romans which changed and shaped my own theology. As a christian, I have been all over the proverbial map of theology. Never being discipled and essentially left to figure God out on my own, I live in a world where the Gospel is under attack from the church itself, and it is through this book that God has grounded me in truth. This is a poor attempt to lead others on a similar journey. To see through the shallowness of a gospel that is preached by wolves in sheep's clothing, a gospel that says being happy is a state of mind, that steers clear of the dangers of sin and the vital need of repentance, that tells us we are co-saviors with Christ of our own souls and that God just wants us all to prosper...... materially speaking. A gospel that ignores the root and only deals with the symptoms, leaving many still enslaved to sin and living defeated lives. This is not the Gospel Paul preached!

Concerning Paul's letter to the Romans

In verse 1, we learn quite a few things about the Apostle Paul. First, is his humility. When Paul wrote this letter to the Roman church, he was already esteemed within the church. He was on par with Peter, John, and James. The Roman church was aware of the prestige he carried, yet unlike most of the self serving celebrity pastors of today, he esteems himself as a "servant." The word used in the Greek literally means "slave" or "bondservant". Paul is a slave to Christ, he is writing to promote his master's objective. Martin Luther makes the point that "if it is already disastrous to deny the servants of an emperor honor and respect, what will happen to those who do not receive with due honor the servants of God!"

Not only is Paul a "servant of Christ Jesus" he also an apostle. He mentions his calling and that he was set apart by God. Paul's entire identity is wrapped in Christ. An "apostle" was one who had seen Christ. Today, clergy who consider themselves apostles are ignorant of the office of apostle and may be held in contempt for taking the office of apostle so lightly. It is for this reason, the power that is carried in the office of apostleship, that Paul always starts his letters, testifying to his apostleship as a calling by God. And it is this title that he uses to validate his ministry which was under attack from the Jews and from false teachers that accused Paul of preaching antinomianism, which is "the doctrine or belief that the Gospel frees Christians from required obedience to any law, whether scriptural, civil, or moral, and that salvation is attained solely through faith and the gift of divine grace". In short, it is the belief that because it is faith that saves, we have a license to sin. As to being "set apart", it is important to look at how Paul met Christ recorded in the Book of Acts, chapter 9. It was on the road to Damascus when Christ revealed himself to Paul. Verses 3-6, "Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." Notice there is no negotiation. There is no hoping on Christ's part that Paul will believe and follow. Our testimonies aren't too different. When Christ calls, His people respond. The story of Paul's conversion shows Christ how He really is, a King, who has ransomed and reconciled His people, that He has loved from before the foundation of the world, and who he calls each, individually, to faith. In Jesus' own words from John 10, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice." Jesus says that His sheep listen to His voice. He came to save those that the Father had given Him, and He will not lose one. This Jesus is far different from the Jesus that is preached in churches today. A Jesus that is powerless to save without your permission. This is not the Jesus that Paul was a servant to. Jesus' own words about Paul are recorded in Acts 9:15-16."Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." From that statement alone, does it appear that Paul had any choice in the matter of being a minister and apostle? When it comes to our lives, we have been set apart and called, yet we cling to our own desires and wants. Paul is a picture of true obedience. Let us all exemplify the same devotion to our Master.

This Christ Jesus that we follow was "promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures". When I was young, I didn't see how the Old Testament and the New Testament fit together. In one book, you had history, rules, poetry, and prophecy and in the other you had Jesus and teaching. One book called for the eradication of entire people groups and the other told me to love my enemy. The "Holy Scriptures" Paul is referring to is what we now know as the Old Testament. The entire point of the OT is to show Christ. There is Christ in the history, Christ in the Law, Christ in the poetry and the prophecy. According to Luther, "the most convincing and persuasive proof of the Gospel is that is was witnessed by the Law and the prophets." Because of this, Paul can say with full confidence that the Gospel he preaches is not man made or from human wisdom. Amos 3:7 states, "The Lord God will do nothing, but he reveals his secrets to His servants the prophets." It is a beautiful thing that God has given us His written Word. Because of this great grace on God's part, we can rest in knowing that Christianity "owes it's existence neither to blind chance or to fate, but to the divine predetermined counsel and foreordained purpose" of God.

Killing Floor

Lord knows, I should'a been gone

Lord knows, I should'a been gone

Then I wouldn't be down here on this killin' floor

Howlin' Wolf

For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:10-11

I have often heard the atheist say that there is no God because "what kind of a God would allow bad things to happen?" The foolishness of the non-Christian places the impetus of "bad" things at God's doorstep while they indulge in the gross sins against a holy God. I've heard the atheist say that if God were a loving God, He wouldn't allow suffering. Once again, they ignore the sins that brought condemnation into the world and blame God for not making us all millionaires. What they fail to realize is that prosperity does not equal happiness. If such were the case, the suicide rate among the rich would be zero instead of being among the highest in the world.1 To the fool, the question to the elect would be, "If God be so merciful, then why do we suffer?" This question is really of insignificance. Because of sin, we live in a broken world among broken people. It is our nature to devour one another. But this is not the reason I write this.

A troubling trend within churches is that we should escape from suffering. While they concede that God uses suffering, their prayers are for escape from affliction. In the American church, affliction is an inconvenience. We pray selfish prayers for healing, deliverance, and an end to the affliction. How often, when afflicted, do we pray for the revelation of the lessons being taught during affliction? Do we really know why God causes His people to suffer? I think if we did, we wouldn't be so quick to pray for it's end. Here are 7 reasons why suffering is God's method of growing his people.

1. God uses suffering for our profit and advantage. To the world, this seems foolish. The fact is that we cannot grow close to the Lord if we live in sin. Afflictions are God's tool to purge and clean us. In John 15, Christ says that the Father prunes the branches that bear fruit. This pruning is God's way of cleansing the saints from their sins so that we may bear more fruit. We should rejoice in this instance. The great Puritan writer Thomas Brooks says, "afflictions serve to revive and recover decayed graces."2 It is these afflictions that soften our hearts and our remembrance of them draws us closer to our Lord.

2. Our afflictions may kill our bodies, but they will not kill our souls. It is this type of kingdom thinking that is lacking with the American church. 1 Peter 3:13 says, "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled." If we believe we have eternal life, then let not the fear of bodily harm keep us from straying off the path. Socrates said, "O Crito, if it thus pleases the gods, thus let it be. Anytus and Melitus may kill me indeed, but hurt me they cannot."3 Afflictions may kill us, but they will not hurt us. As the stones rained down on Stephen, he saw Christ, and his soul rejoiced. How much more should we rejoice when we get the flu?

3. Our afflictions are short and last only a little while. In the realm of this world, our life on earth is but a mist, but eternity is forever. It was King David who wrote, "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime."4 A lifetime for us is but a day for the Lord.

4. Our afflictions and sufferings come from God's dearest love. "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent."5 It would be a scary proposition to be left by God with no discipline as Paul describes in Romans 1. To be left to a debased mind. To have no help to conquer sin. To have sin multiply in your heart daily. I am thankful to my parents for disciplining me as a youth. I would shudder to think where I would be now had they tried to be my friends instead of being my parents. Their discipline helped shaped who I am. God's discipline transforms my heart and mind so that I am no longer conforming to the ways of this world.

5. It is our duty to not measure the affliction by the means, but by the ends. Consider Job. He went through more than any of us could have ever imagined. He remained faithful and came out more glorious than we could ever imagine. Consider Joseph. Sold into slavery by his brothers. Falsely imprisoned by Potiphar. Yet, in the end, he was the ruler of Egypt. I recently lost my job. I consider it pure joy. This consideration has helped me to not harbor ill will and bitterness and has given me excitement at the possibilities that will come my way in the future. It isn't easy to be in a place of financial insecurity, yet I do not wrestle with God over His provision. My prayers are not for a high paying job or an easy job or even a comfortable job. My prayers are for God to prepare the hearts of those that I will meet in the workplace and to prepare my heart to be a bold witness. It is an exciting thing to rejoice in the Lord and wait on Him. In my past experiences, I would always lose my patience with the Lord's timing and flee from Him. This is allowing Satan to have victory. This is the epitome of foolishness.

6. Our afflictions are not to wrong us or ruin us, but to try us. If we were prosperous always, why would we need to rely on God? "And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."6 It is through afflictions and the testing of us, that God sanctifies us.

7. Our afflictions are nothing compared to the afflictions of the reprobate. The reprobate have no peace, no joy, no comfort in times of suffering. Their suffering is not water that is meant to grow them but judgment meant to punish them and condemn them.

In closing, remember that suffering and afflictions are blessings from God. Thomas Brooks wrote, "God had one Son without corruption, and no son without correction."2 When trials come our way, do not flee them. As the early church prayed for steadfastness when the Jews persecuted them, remember the words of the Apostle James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."7

1. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843096-2,00.html

2. Precious Remedies Against Satan Devices 1652

3. Crito and Apology' by Plato

4. Psalm 30:5

5. Revelation 3:19

6. Deuteronomy 8:2

7. James 1:2-4