This past week God asked me to something that was difficult for me and it resulted in some changes for us as a family. I am not going to go into details, but basically, I was in a position of either looking the other way on a behavior or holding some accountable. I chose to obey the Lord's prompting. When the dust had finally settled several days later, I was really struggling with where things landed. I knew that I had done what was right according to the scriptures even though this was not a popular opinion, but the result still caused me to grieve.
Friday night, the Lord gave me a scripture: Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Tim 2:25-26
Saturday I still continued to wrestle and grieve over how things had ended.
Sunday at church the Lord was very sweet to me. During worship the gal leading was reading scripture about Moses preparing to go to Egypt to set God's people free. The Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites that I AM was sending him. This really echoed in my heart - these people needed no other explanation than that. How can you argue with The Truth?! It is what it is and comes from I AM.
One of our church elders taught since our pastor was at a marriage conference and again, the Lord ministered to my heart. This man was began teaching out of 1 Peter, the jumped to Genesis and then to 2 Peter. His main point though was that we should be 1 out of 8 - the one that stands for God's Word - rather than 1 of 8 and fitting in with the crowd. This is the first time I have really chosen to be 1 out of 8 and, oh boy, was it hard! It is easier to go to another country to share the Gospel than it is to stand up for the Truth to someone you know. Thank you Jesus for the courage to stand up for You!
Last night at Bible study, I was reminded of the scriptures that I had read Friday night and that I am to continue to pray for this person in the hopes that things are reconciled. While I would like things to be reconciled between us, I hope that they are reconciled with Christ. Truly, this is a hard reminder. I am ready to be done and to move on, but I know that I need to be gracious and merciful and wait... I need to wait until God says I can be done and I dont think He has yet.
1 Peter 3:13-17
Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
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