Micah 1-4, 2 Corinthians 4, Psalm 122
2 Corinthians 4: 11 (ESV)
“For we who live are always being given over to death for
Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal
flesh.”
Verse 11 from 2 Corinthians 4 shows Paul reminding us that
living a life of faith may include suffering like Christ. Christ suffered much during
his life when he was rejected by his people for preaching that he was the “son
of God.” We have to know that when we proclaim ourselves as believers in
Christ, we may experience the same kind of suffering that Jesus went through
especially in the modern world. A person of faith does live a life of victory
in many ways, but there is also much suffering in the call to follow Christ. I
listened to a sermon today where the minister preached that to heed the call of
Christ always involves a price that must be paid.
I was struck by this sermon because in my own my life in the
last two years, I’ve been on a journey to deepen my relationship with God. Holy
Spirit has been teaching me to be completely dependent on God for everything,
and while this was something I thought I wanted, I did not know it would
involve giving up my own spirit of independence. I prided myself on being
independent, strong, and being smart enough to always figure everything out for
myself. Giving up my independence has been so hard, and I still struggle with
it. But I am learning that I can partner with God instead of having to do
everything myself, and that I can always rely on God to help me. Relying on God
makes things easier for me, but this is a new thing for me because I only asked
God for help as a last resort. Now I am learning to consult with God first
before I do anything. It’s a new thing, but I am finding that partnering with
God makes things run so much smoother in my life. So yes, I have suffered in my
pursuit of God but, I’ve also gained so many great things as well. Is it worth
it? I think so, but I think each person of faith will have to make that
decision for themselves.
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