To Weep, To Rejoice.

 

Persecuted and Persecuting.

 It is so incredibly hard to bless those who persecute me. You're probably asking yourself, "Who could possibly be persecuting her?" We have this vision of persecution and sometimes it jumps all the way to a torturous, captive type persecution. Or maybe it skips to severe bullying that can occur. Or you could hop right over to the abusive, beating spouse, sibling, child- yes, they can all be real things spouses aren't the only ones who abuse family.  If none of those extremes or semi-extremes are a part of what we believe the average person's life to be, such as perhaps mine, then how can I say people persecute me? 

Persecuting is being subject to unfair or cruel treatment, pestering, harassment, oppression. 

So, who does this to me?  Strangers perhaps. Seriously. It may be an extremely low level of persecution- but being treated unfairly in anyway can often cause us to CURSE others- those who we are perceiving as treating us unfairly.  It happens all the time.  Sometimes all it takes is a supposed nasty look from a complete stranger that can set us to thinking ill will towards that stranger. Driving is a huge stranger induced persecution we seem to all face. We curse complete strangers as they cut us off on the road, or drive too slow, or honk their horns at us unnecessarily, or sit at a light that's turned green We yell, sometimes just silently, "Go!" or "Watch out!" And we say those things defensively, angrily, we are in affect cursing others.

This holds true for anytime we are put out by a request someone makes of us- co-workers, bosses, customers, friends, neighbors, family and so on. This holds true for when someone is having a bad day and take their bad day out on others.  We do this, we do it all the time and we shrug it off as being a part of life. We make excuses for it, we tell ourselves it's not so bad. 

We perceive persecution, and we persecute others in so many small ways and none of those ways are things to be overlooked. We must seek forgiveness when we persecute others with our actions, demeanor, attitudes that are not of God. We must seek to forgive all others who persecute us with their actions, demeanors, attitudes that are not of God. We are to BLESS those who persecute us, remember? Bless and curse not! 

I said it's so hard to bless those who persecute me, but most of that persecution stems from my perception of being put out, my own selfish, impatience, negative attitude, and so on. I need to seek forgiveness in so many ways, and I need to learn to BLESS all those who I perceive as persecutors, however slight that persecution may be. Christ in me can do this. He blessed those who persecuted Him and He never deserved any persecution at all whatsoever.  So even if my self issues aren't always the cause of a perceived persecution, and maybe there are legitimate persecutions- even then I really have to bless those who are persecuting me. Deserved, undeserved, true, or just perceived as true none of it matters, what matters is BLESSING others, ALL OTHERS, and yes, especially those we tend to believe are undeserving, they deserve it the most.  God, please, help us! All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever! Amen!

*******

(Excerpt Ro. 12 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

How to Treat Persecutors.

Rom 12:14  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not

To curse does not necessarily always mean to use profane language, to swear. To curse means to speak ill. It is the opposite of bless, which means to speak well of. Sometimes men persecute according to law, and sometimes they persecute without any legal warrant; but whether it is "due process of law" or mob violence, no hard words are to be used against those who do it. On the contrary, they are to be spoken well of.

One can not do this without the Spirit of Christ, who prayed for his betrayers and murderers, and who did not venture to bring railing accusation even against the devil. Jude 9. To hold persecutors up to contempt is not according to God's instruction.

Others.

 Php 2:3 … let each esteem other better than themselves. 

Esteeming… having a high regard, a high opinion, a high appreciation of.

Others… a person different than yourself. 

Better… superior in some way (than themselves).

IN the lowliness of OUR minds, we are to ESTEEM OTHERS BETTER THAN OURSELVES.

We live in a world where we are constantly measuring ourselves against each other. It happens all the time, and most of the time it is so automatic to our way of life we don't even recognize it for what it is.  Maybe throughout our lives we've used the measuring stick of self - compared to others so we can feel better or at least competent in ourselves. How do we stand up alongside of our peers? Equality is the base standard most try for, but there are others who long for superiority, and often determine to put others into an inferior situation so they can hold on to their supposed superiority. It's the way of the world we are living in. Having an elite class, upper class, middle, and lower, and so on. Yet, truthfully we ALL know that a lot of the upper (not all) but a lot of those deemed in the upper class of societies are in truth very far from being God's people. They've chosen the world and its riches over the esteeming of others better than themselves.  Can a rich person esteem others better than themselves? Yes, I believe they can, though I believe it's very difficult- near to impossible in most cases according to God's own word. 

Mat_19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

The willingness from each of us - from the poorest - to the most materialistically rich, has to be willing to give up those tangible riches and the riches longed even as unrealized desires- if they are other than the treasures found in heaven alone.  God help us to this end!

We can be the poorest of the poor yet have our minds and hearts set on riches- the 'if only I were rich', the 'when I get rich', 'being rich would make me different' and so on. As long as we focus on the world's riches, whether truly rich in monetary means, or poor yet longing for riches, we are not seeking the things that are above, we are still caught up in this world's goods, the things of this world.

We need to esteem others BETTER than ourselves. We need to long for OTHERS to know the love of God in all His glory with spiritual eyes that see even more than we could possibly hope for! Others should be our FOCUS. OTHERS. OTHERS. OTHERS.  

GOD and OTHERS.

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory

Our affections- and even the poorest of us can have our affections set on earthly treasures. Our affections must be on things above. Our affections must be on others above ourselves. Please, God, please Father, please help us to forget ourselves and focus on others as YOU would have us do so. Not with the longing to be them if we deem them better than us. Not grateful for not being them if we deem them not better off than us. But rather, Father God, help us to esteem them ALL better than ourselves in longing for all -rich and poor alike to be YOURS, even as we LONG to be YOURS! Give us YOUR HEART IN US, CHRIST IN US- TO LOVE OTHERS AS YOU LOVE US!

(Excerpt Ro. 12 E.J. Waggoner- 1800's)

"In Honor Preferring One Another."

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another

This can be done only when one is able "in lowliness of mind" to esteem others better than himself. Phil. 2:3. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

And this can be done only when one knows his own worthlessness. The man who "knows the plague of his own heart" can not think that others are as bad as himself. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who . . . made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant."

The Body.

 (Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

The Body and Its Members. 

"There is one body" (Eph. 4:4), and that is the church, of which Christ is the head  (Eph. 1:22, 23; Col. 1:18). "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones." Eph. 5:30. There are many members in the body, "so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

As in the human body, so in the body of Christ, "all members have not the same office;" yet they are so joined together, and so mutually dependent, that none can boast over the others. "The eye can not say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." 1 Cor. 12:21. So it is in the true church of Christ; there are no divisions and no boastings, and no member seeks to occupy the place or perform the work of another. No member thinks himself independent of the others, and all have an equal care for one another.

Various Gifts. 

All members have not the same office, and all have not the same gifts. "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. . . . For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of Spirits; to another divers kind of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 1 Cor. 12:4-11.

"The Proportion of Faith." 

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." As we have seen, there is but "one faith" (Eph.  4:5), and that is "the faith of Jesus." Although there are various gifts, there is but one power behind them all.  "All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit." Therefore, to prophesy or to exercise any other of the gifts "according to the proportion" or measure of faith, is to do it "as of the ability which God giveth." 1 Peter 4:11.  "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

More Choose Not to Believe.

Help- My Unbelief!

Lord, I believe- Help, thou, my unbelief.  Mark 9:24

What is this man saying to Jesus? He, like you and I, don't want anything to stand between us and Jesus. We believe, but even a sliver of unbelief scares us and we don't want even the smallest bit of unbelief in our lives. Satan is ever ready to fill us with doubt. Around every corner the devil will throw up roadblocks meant to veer us off the narrow way and onto his broad path. Doubt in our Savior is a Satan specialty that he doles out every opportunity he can. Is it any wonder the father of that demon possessed son cried out he believed, when Jesus asked if he believed, and then right on the heels of that pronouncement he added that the possibility of unbelief lurking within him, and he did NOT want that to keep Jesus from healing his son! He did not want the slightest weakness in himself to cause his son to suffer a moment longer. If his own failing cost his son his freedom from his tortured life, the father would not forgive himself. He BELIEVED, so what more was there to say? He told Jesus that he believed, there, that should have been it, it should have been enough, he didn't have to say more. I can exclaim I BELIEVE! And truly, I believe that I believe. Yet is it enough? I need for it to be more than enough, I need my Savior to know that if my weak belief, the believe that stems from the most imperfect of human beings is lacking at all, that He alone can make that belief all it needs to be. My belief needs HIS belief, all the glory, all the honor, all the praise is HIS! He is my CREATOR, I am but a creation of His! He is the Master of all that I am! I do believe! And forever, my Lord, help THOU my unbelief!

(Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

Faith a Gift of God. 

That faith which God deals to man is indicated in Revelation 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." 

God does not give faith to the saints only, any more than he gives the commandments to them alone; but the saints keep the faith, and others do not. 

The faith which they keep is the faith of Jesus; therefore it is the faith of Jesus that is given to men.

Faith Given to Every Man. 

Every man is exhorted to think soberly, because God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Many people have a notion that they are so constituted that it is impossible for them to believe.  

That is a grave error. 

Faith is just as easy, and just as natural, as breathing. It is the common inheritance of all men, and the one thing wherein all are equal. It is as natural for the child of the infidel to believe as it is for the child of the saint.

It is only when men build up a barrier of pride about themselves (Ps. 73:6) that they find it difficult to believe. 

Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain

And even then they ill believe; for when men disbelieve God, they believe Satan; when they disbelieve the truth, they greedily swallow the most egregious falsehoods.

We Are Weak But He Is Strong.

 Truly we are weak…but He is strong and this is something we should never forget. 

Be strong they tell us, as if that is a good thing. The trouble with that is we know, deep down we all know how very weak we are in the grand scheme of all things. We know our weaknesses as human beings, so even when we are calling ourselves strong we recognize those who are considered strong people can also be laid low in a single heartbeat.

When we witness what we consider strength in others and long to possess that same sort of fortitude, we have to remember we all are made up individually and as such what consists in our genetic make-up is nothing like what another has. Our strength as such may appear weaker by standards man has set up, but that might not be true at all. For what we are, we may be incredibly strong as such and still that doesn't matter, it is dangerous. Yes, dangerous for us to long for strength in ourselves outside of the strength that is Christ's and Christ's alone. Our strength needs to be found outside of ourselves and in another completely. Our fortitude must be another's we rely upon. We are weak and we fail countless times, but He never fails and is always strong.

We have to give ourselves over to the truth of our weakness and align ourselves through FAITH in Christ for strength. We must cry out how very weak we are and how in need of Christ's strength we will always be! Christ will see us through, we don't see ourselves through, if we think we do it's only an illusion that has been built up by mankind in accordance with the prince of this world, Satan. We are set up to believe we can be strong, so Satan's can lay us low when we fail- over and over again.

Christ is our stronghold, our fortress, our strong tower, our everything.

We are weak…but HE is strong!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  

(Excerpt Ro. 11 E.J. Waggoner) 1800's)

Faith and Humility. 

Pride is the enemy of faith. 

The two can not live together. 

A man can think soberly and humbly only as the result of the faith that God gives. 

"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him;  but the just shall live by his faith." Hab. 2:4. 

The man who has confidence in his own strength and wisdom, will not depend upon another. Trust in the wisdom and power of God comes only when we recognize and acknowledge our own weakness and ignorance.