In preparing for last Sunday’s
message I stumbled onto a reality that I don’t think I ever had considered
before. I got to thinking about pride and repentance in
connection with mercy. Here’s the reality … “God’s mercy has absolutely no significance
in the presence of pride.”
I really don’t see any need for
mercy if I consider myself pretty well put together. The humble person is the
one who really really really appreciates God’s infinite mercy.
He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear
him.
I’ve been wondering if this series
on 1 Peter isn’t a little morbid. We’ve been stuck on suffering for quite a
long while. The whole purpose of the book is helping people be ready for times
of intense persecution and suffering, just for being Christ-followers.
My bother-in-law, Ralph Trainer is
the director of Beulah Beach near Vermillion, Last we he told me that his son,
Joel had decided last spring that he wanted to study the book of 1 Peter during
the staff worship and devotional times during the summer. What’s with a
20-something wanting to dive into the subject of preparing to suffer? Is God pointing
his church to these critical passages to study as a means of readying us for
some difficult days ahead? I’ve found a number of preachers and themes related
to this issue of dealing with trials, suffering and afflictions.
Here is video excerpt of Tullian
Tchividjian (grandson of Billy Graham speaking about suffering. His basic
thesis is that suffering itself doesn’t rob us of joy. It’s when suffering
begins to take away from us things that were more valuable than God. Idolatry
he states is in reality what robs us of joy and peace. Check it out:
