Praise Him (Even In Suffering)
Friday's Devotion (3-7-08)
"Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." 1 Peter 4:16 (KJV)
If any man suffer AS a Christian... Not to be mistaken for "If you suffer and you're a Christian," let him not be ashamed. But let him glorify God for it. Who among us can glorify God in the time of our own suffering? I wish I could sit here and tell you that I could, I have a real problem with it. I definitely don't get mad at God, but when I'm down I feel so depressed and defeated that I don't even really want to even speak. And because of that, I stay depressed longer than I should. I should make myself praise God even in times of trouble, because God blesses us for that. I should think about the eternal reward of suffering AS a Christian (For Christ sake.) Every time I'm persecuted for Christ, every time the devil tries to attack me... I should praise God because there's another reward for me in Heaven. Not to mention Satan hates it when we praise God, ESPECIALLY in our time of suffering. You can look to the book of Job for a reference on that one.
Anyway, I think I'll leave it with that for today. I could use your prayers as always and anyone who could use mine then just submit your prayer requests.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins as we forgive all those who've sinned against us. Please help us to trust in you and to give you glory and praise even when we're suffering. In Jesus name. A-men!
God bless!