Then, friend, ponder this:
"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Hebrews 12:3The word endured (hypomenō) means to stand strong and bravely endure ill treatments. God in the flesh patiently endured the unbelief, mockery, and physical abuse heaped upon him by depraved man. Matthew Henry says: "though he could easily have both confuted and confounded them, and sometimes gave them a specimen of his power, yet he endured their evil manners with great patience."
Contradiction (antilogia) is also defined as opposition or rebellion. How did dare they deny the Savior? Ignore His commands? Fall asleep during prayer? But haven't we been guilty of this and so much more?
- When we feel all alone in our desire to stand for truth, remember the painful loneliness Jesus experienced when separated from God thanks to our sins.
- When we feel overly used thanks to the needy people we minister to, remember Jesus had thousands following Him merely to see another food miracle.
- When family members scoff at your God-centered goals, remember Jesus had siblings who did not believe He was the Son of God.
- When those we mentor do not appreciate the hours of time we have invested into their lives and then fall by the wayside, remember that every one of the disciples forsook Jesus for a time.
- When our physical pain becomes more than we can bear, think of the pain Jesus received as His body was shredded and ripped apart.
- When unbelievers "test" you with difficult questions, remember the many tricky questions the hypocritical religious leaders asked of Jesus.
- When falsely accused of wrongdoing, think of the falsehoods spoken against the only perfect Man, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Stumbled across your blog somehow and it has been a blessing. This post was especially encouraging! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletethank you so much for stopping by my blog.. and wow.. i scrolled down and read this post and it ministerd to my soul. The past six months have been very difficult for me as :I have walked through a painful season of betrayl and being misunderstood which has in turn caused me to have to give up a ministry I loved.. but God.. but God is teaching me much through it .. and this post really encouraged me. Thank you. blessings
ReplyDeleteAnne: Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate your kind words. Most posts are sermons to myself.
ReplyDeleteJenn: I know it's seems most difficult to forgive and deal with hurts inflicted by other Christians. Afterward it's so much easier to put up a wall of protection around our heart rather than be misunderstood and hurt again. I don't know your situation, but I'll be praying for you. Perhaps God has other gifts He will soon be developing in you. That's happened to me when circumstances led me to give up ministries I thoroughly loved. Blessings.