"A Gust of Wind!" - Too

 "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach." (Hebrews 13:13 KJV)

  "So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people's affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come judgment, and it must begin with God's household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God's Good News? And also, "If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?" So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you." (1 Peter 4:14-19 NLT)

 So, the title that I went with yesterday, and today, was based upon the definition of the word, "bearing," which has several meanings, such as: "to bear up, to be moved inwardly, endure; to be conveyed or borne, with the suggestion of force or speed." What we are looking at is the opposite of sitting in church and trying to be the best Christian you can be; it is going out and fighting in the trenches, bearing His reproach, which was meant to be actually going outside the camp and making people aware of who you represent and why it is that your burdens are not the things that hurt you! 

 As I thought about this, crazy last couple of days, I couldn't help but remember: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28 NLT) How that works out, we sometimes never know; but rest assured, we will one day know more than we could have ever imagined...

"For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What can we say about such things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" (Romans 8:29-31 NLT)