Bobi A

Persecution - we are promised it by Christ. The world is afraid of Christians. I think people are afraid to come to the Lord because they think (and rightly) that He will ask them to change - Praise Him that he just takes it on and changes us without our permission. God does change our "want-tos". People see Christians going through terrible times and remain at peace, calm, and keep on praising Him - they can't understand it. But what a testimony it gives to His power in our lives. When we are truly trusting in Him, we walk through valleys of the shadow of death and stay firm in our faith, joyful in our hearts and full of praises - how can we do that? Not in any power of our own, but entirely through Him. Jesus had to suffer to show us that suffering is in the long run for our benefit. God uses our suffering to conform us to Christ and take us out of the world - we are better able to comfort others when we have already passed through the fire.

The biggest danger is fear to show that we are His. Regardless of where we are, there are ways to shine. We can seek God's direction in this - He will show us His way. I worked at a large multi-national corporation and worked with will every nationality, religion and sect you can imagine. One particular man had the bad habit of using God's name in the worst possible way. Finally one day I confronted Him with the idea that if he continued to blaspheme MY GOD - I would in turn blaspheme his - I didn't actually say anything he could take offense at, but reminded him that I had a God I loved and didn't appreciate his usage of God's name. He had the intelligence to slink back to his cubicle and remain invidible for most of the week. BUT I made my point - think about what you are saying and don't assume that everyone thinks like you do. A little sensitivity, please - but also for Christians - we can't assume - take the time to learn about people - your interest will spark theirs and maybe give you an opportunity to witness.

Christians in the world who look like the world have lost their salt. They are bland - not even vanilla - they are so conformed to the world, there is no visible difference. Afraid to speak up for anything that will make a difference - sitting on their hands waiting for someone else to step up. I think when we find ourselves complacent about anything that God is concerned about, we need to stop and figure out what we are doing - or not doing. The Holy Spirit will be working to convict us of our lack of saltiness - we need to listen. Secular people look at a loss of saltiness as a sign of God's unfaithfulness - if He doesn't stick by His own, why would I think He would be concerned about me. I suspect other Christians think I have a few too many opinions - and I voice them. I am more careful at work about HOW I say things, but usually find a way to speak my mind. Through God's word, prayer and the indwelling of the Spirit, God can "resaltify" anyone willing to take instruction from Him and move according to His purposes.

Preservation - keeping God's word preserved and standing for Him. Seasoning - not blending into the world around us - being a little more seasoned - making a difference - being outspoken about the things of God. Not being desensitized by the world.

Persecution means we are making people uncomfortable. Many people want to be left alone in their little world of whatever they worship - don't distrub them with the truth about God and the afterlife. They can't be bothered - or else they are afraid to face the truth. They seem to think that ignoring it will make it go away - WRONG! The better job we do of standing for God and furthering His kingdom, the more Satan will be after us and try to find ways to bring us down and compromise our witness. Looking at life with an eternal perspective gives the world view a temporary and inconsequential moment in our lives. We are only here for a short time - relative to eternity. The persecuted are standing for God above all else and they will be His forever.

God hates sin. Its that simple. He hates sin and He wants to see His chidlren without sin - that why we have Jesus. Trying to see God while carrying around a load of sin is like trying to see through a brick wall - can't be done. God wants us to confess, repent and turn away from our sins - I suspect that is why He makes us so aware of all of them. We need to learn to forgive others as He has forgiven us as part of this process - being unforgiving can cloud our hearts, just like sin. We must look through Jesus to see God. We aer all sinners - He calls His children to move away from sin and toward Him.

Righteousness puts us at odds with the world - it makes people uncomfortable. When you take the high moral ground regardless of those around you and make decisions based on Jesus rather than the latest and greattest, people don't know what to do. They will resort to ridicule, laughter and outright hostility. The Spirit will guide us to the highest possible moral ground - and that's where we take our stand. Jesus promises He will fill us to overflowing with righteousness if we desire it.

We can't gladly give all the glory to God unless we put ourselves aside. The world says "me first regardless". Jesus says give the glory to God because only through Him can our lives make a difference where God has called us to stand for Him. Dealing with non-Christians, especially, we need to exhibit the tenderness that Jesus showed to people from all walks of life. Humility is the hardest thing for so many people because we were raised and live in a world that glorifies the self and the stuff we acquire. Unless we can put US aside, we cannot walk in His steps.

We can't accept Christ as our Saviour until we are willing to put our egos and pride away and depend on Him for everything. Acknowledging our spiritual poverty enables us to focus on Him and not on "me". Christians will mourn over their personal spiritual condition, as well as that of others - whether Christian or not. I believe that God wants us to angry over the things that make Him angry. We can all grieve over discrimination, lack of tolerance, inhumane treatment of women and children, war, poverty - a long, long list of wrongs that are rampant all over this planet today. We should grieve over those who are lost to Christ - those who will never know Him and those who will spend eternity in the pit.

The Beatitudes are riddles or paradoxes. The first part tells the spiritual condition of the person and the second the result or solution that will happen through following Jesus. The Fruit of the Spirit is expressed in the Beatitudes. Each encourages the growth and development of the other. Beatitudes behavior is a result of the Sprit's involvement if each Christian's life. Showing the Fruit in our lives directly corresponds to the behavior Christ calls us to in the Beatitudes. Bobi Anderson

Hi, Everyone - my name is Bobi and I live in a small town called Salado in Texas, about 45 miles north of Austin. I have a Biblical Studies degree and teach both Sunday and School at our local church. I just can't get enough study - I'm a frustrated academic, I guess. I'm looking forward to the study. God bless!