Friday... It is so difficult to deal with.

1 Peter 3:17 (NLT), "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!"

Friday... It is so difficult to deal with.

Suffering is really, really difficult to deal with but God can use it for good. 1 Peter 3:17 (NLT) says, "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!" And Jesus in his humanness had to deal with this.

King David in Psalm 22:1 says, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?" And later in verse 18 he says, "They divided my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing." David is talking here about Jesus and what he was going to go through. Yes the humanness of Jesus also suffered and David in looking forward saw Jesus suffering from the human side so he could say to us that he understands. And for sure Jesus does know what suffering is all about and even the feeling that he was abandoned by his father.

David finished this Psalm by saying in verse 31, "His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done."

Back to 1 Peter and his writing a letter to people who were being persecuted. Yes there may be some suffering in all of our lives but as verse 17 says, "Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!"

Verse 18 says, "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring them safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit." His suffering brings life to us. And we may not know why the difficulties are in our life, and what God is using them for, but we can know that he has not abandoned us. He is using them for his glory and our maturity. And also that he is not done.

So let's step back and put our trust in God, knowing that he has a plan and that he will bring us through whatever we are going through. He has not abandoned us even if it feels like it.

David writes in verse 24 (MS), "He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening." And then verse 26, "Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him. 'Live it up, from head to toe. Don't ever quit!'"

And we are so glad the Jesus never quit. 1 Peter 3: 22 (NLT) says, "Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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Todays Beginning

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