Faith in the only one trustworthy.

1 Peter
{2:19} For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.


Suffering wrongfully.


Innocents suffer wrongfully. Man is not innocent by nature. Children are innocent until they reach their own age of accountability, there is no set age but rather the maturity that brings accountability with it. Once someone knows right from wrong then they are accountable to do right rather than wrong. Once the choices begin and the child chooses the wrong over the right, again accountability is in effect. We all know that as children it starts young, our wrongs are innocent until we are taught they are wrong. Not touching a hot stovetop is something we are taught, but at first we are kept safe by keeping us away from the hot stovetop. Later we are told not to touch the hot stove it could hurt us. We choose whether or not to listen to that admonishment. If we choose not to listen and put our fingers on the hot stove we get burned- an instant punishment is given us for our wrong doing. Was it an innocent wrong when we we were told not to touch and we did? The choosing not to listen makes it a choice for wrong. As we grow up we are told our actions have consequences and not all of those consequences are immediately felt such as the touching of the hot stovetop resulting in burnt fingers. Sometimes it's best if we do get immediate consequences isn't it? Maybe if all wrong doing resulted in immediate punishment there'd be less wrong doing, but that's not how it all works.


Choices. We all make them and starting very young. Only the innocents suffer wrongfully, right? No, that's not right. Innocents do suffer, but so do the guilty.


Man by nature matures and guilt abounds. We find forgiveness in Christ, He died to take away our sins. Once we are made innocent in Christ, through Christ's righteousness we are like a child before accountability, innocent. Every day we make choices that can produce more guilt and more need of forgiveness, or we can make choices that result in remaining innocent- through the grace of Christ.


Suffering wrongfully.


Suffering undeservedly.


By the guilt of our nature anything that happens to us is deserved, but we still have that sense of being undeserving of guilt when we've not done wrong and when we've asked for forgiveness. This is why we must consider it thankworthy suffering wrongfully, because the only one who never deserved a single ounce of suffering, suffered the most for us who deserve all the suffering in the world.


It's not oh, God why me?! But oh, God... thank you, keep me strong in faith, in love, in you. Now, if only we can truly remember that when the suffering and grief come to us. May God remind us that the suffering now is only temporary however horrific when we are in the midst of the pain, the agony, the emotional turmoil, the physical horrors.


By His grace, help us remember, to trust, to believe, to have faith in the only one trustworthy.


Thank you Lord, thank you our heavenly Father.


Amen.