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Never could they have imagined how they foreshadowed the accusers of the One who suffered so much misunderstanding to become the source of our greatest joys.Īfter Prem Pradham’s (1924–1998) plane was shot down during World War II, he was wounded in the leg by ground fire while parachuting to safety. Never could they have imagined that they would one day be invoked as examples of “With friends like that, who needs enemies?” Never could they have imagined the relief of Job praying for them, or why they would need prayer at all (42:10–11). Job’s “comforters” meant well while being so wrong (1:6–12). With good sounding arguments they insisted that if he could admit his wrongs (4:7–8) and learn from the God’s correction, he would find strength to laugh in the face of his problems (5:22). When his early expressions of faith eventually gave way to despair, his friends multiplied his pain by adding insult to injury. The life of Job unfolds in such troubled realism.
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He once rescued a young boy from the traffic of a busy New York City street with a memorable, “What’s the matter with you, kid? Don’t you want to grow up and have troubles?” Having lost his mother before he was three, he was later estranged from his father who struggled with addictions. His sense of humor was born out of personal pain. If we face suffering or persecution for an act of faith, ancient and modern examples remind us that God’s Spirit is present with us to strengthen and sustain us when we choose to obey Him, “even if” things turn out differently than we hope.ĭuring the Golden Age of radio, Fred Allen (1894–1956) used comedic pessimism to bring smiles to a generation living in the shadows of economic depression and a world at war. To everyone’s amazement, they survived without even “a hair of their heads singed” (v.
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When they were thrown into the fire, God actually joined them in their suffering (v. The men testified that God was capable of protecting them but they chose to serve Him “even if” He didn’t rescue them (Daniel 3:18). In the book of Daniel, we learn that they refused to pray to a large golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar even when threatened with death. Serving God in the face of opposition is a reality for many today just as it was for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three young Israelites living in captivity in Babylon. She serves joyfully, saying “I can’t stop telling people about Jesus because I ‘ve experienced the power, love, goodness, and faithfulness of God in my life.” Today, Esther leads Bible studies in her local community in spite of threats of violence and even death. Raised in a tribe in the Philippines opposed to belief in Christ, Esther received salvation through Jesus after an aunt prayed for her during Esther’s battle with a life-threatening illness. We can use that freedom to put the spiritual needs of others above our own convictions about rules and practices that don’t contradict the essential truths found in the gospel (v. God’s grace gives us great freedom even as it helps us express His love to fellow believers. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (v. He wrote, “Let us stop passing judgment on one another. We also have diverse backgrounds that color our attitudes and practices. Paul reminded the church in Rome, and us, that believers in Jesus may view situations differently. He was concerned that some people were imposing their views on others. In Romans 14, Paul addressed issues like whether believers in Christ should eat certain foods or celebrate certain festivals. Why would I insist on swimming-hardly an essential thing-when it made her worry unnecessarily? Then I realized that this mattered less than her feelings. “Can you just avoid swimming for some time, for my sake?” she asked.Īt first, I wanted to argue that there was little risk. My wife, however, feared that I might pick up an infection at the public pool and pass it on to her aged mother-who, like other seniors, were more vulnerable to the virus. But I blissfully continued swimming, believing it was safe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Singaporeans stayed home to avoid being infected.