Good day sister saints!
How is/was your day striving on in the Lord?
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1 Peter 3:13-18
We live in society of ease don't we sisters. One with an emphasis on the pleasures of this life. Of course some of that isn't wrong in that it can help us redeem the time and we use some of it for good and furthering God's kingdom (having a car, technogy, washing machine, oven, sewing machine etc) but we know from scripture the description of the days before Noah and also of Lot in Sodom.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:26-29
We know that all who live godly will suffer persecution. And if we aren't living for this life and are not part of it then we know we are just pilgrims and strangers passing through and should expect to be persecuted.
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Galatians 4:29
Look at this list of things those who have gone before us endured and did by faith. You can read the rest in that chapter.
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Who through faith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness,
obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions,
Quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness were made strong,
waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead raised to life again:
and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned,
they were sawn asunder,
were tempted,
were slain with the sword:
they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute,
afflicted,
tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:)
they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Hebrews 11:32-39
And we have it easier than that in our lives don't we sisters. Are we each willing to go through all that and death for our faith in Christ? If something seems hard be encouraged by what those before us went through. Yes we definitely live in a wicked generation and in a society of ease and pride and plenty. May we sisters be living as daughters of the most high God, obedient and pure, going about our reasonable service unto the Lord who owns us willing to suffer and die for our faith.
And here's a video for you...
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.2 Timothy 2:3-4
Glory to God! How pretty they are!
And new leaves and fruits on the trees (this one is a mulberry)...
I loved seeing the shiny new leaves and young fruit on the fig tree...
Jesus said it in scripture too...
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Matthew 24:32
Yes summer is coming here in the southern hemisphere! And we know Christ is also coming back...when those things He said have come to pass.
Let us be diligent and faithful in what we have to do in our lives and what the Lord has given us.
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 25:23
Grab a plate sisters!
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:17
And I leave with a scripture and picture from a sister...
Love in Christ,
Sister Michaela
Find the gospel explained biblically here.