Welcome to BibleTalk

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
It does not matter if you are living in an area where there is natural beauty, lovely homes, affluence and smiling faces all around you as well as beautiful church buildings on every block, or living in an area where the picture is all about human suffering and poverty along with a persecuted church. We who are the very righteousness of God in Christ Jesus {2Cor.5:21} will understand what David wrote so long ago: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” However as he goes on to say, also true today, “But He delivers us from them all.” {Ps.34:19}

The apostle Peter wrote, and lived, that we should not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that comes upon us for our testing as though some strange thing were happening to us. {1Pt.4:12} Satan whose only desire is to separate us from the Lord will come as a wolf in sheep’s clothing {Mat.7:15} or he may come as a roaring lion. {1Pt.5:8} He is not one of the sheep of God’s flock and he is surely not really a lion. A very noticeable truth when you are looking at Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. {Rev.5:5}

We are instructed by Jesus to ‘look up, for our salvation draws near.’ {Lk.21:28} And now, when we look up we will be looking at Jesus at the right hand of the Father. {Acts 7:56} And don’t just glance momentarily, but rather fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith. {Heb.12:2}

A little aside here, though still right on track. There are verses saying that Jesus was sitting at the right hand of the Father, and others saying that He was standing at the right hand of the Father. No contradiction there: He was seated until He chose to stand up! Like when Paul and Silas were illegally imprisoned in Philippi for preaching the Word of God. They were beaten with rods and then thrown into prison, the inner prison with their feet locked in stocks—surely sufferings of their time. They were standing tall for Jesus!

Obviously they were not fixed on the suffering but rather on the glory of God because around midnight in the darkness of that horrible prison, a place of utter despair, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. If Jesus had been seated, He now stood up! He would very likely have been saying to the Father something like, ‘Do You see our faithful servants Paul and Silas!’ Remember that Jesus had said that if we confess Him before men He will confess us before the Father. {Mat.10:32}

I believe that Jesus got excited. Yes, He has emotions: He laughed and He cried. {Ps.59:8 & Jn.11:35} and if He got excited I am certain that all of the angels in heaven would have gotten excited. There would have been a hallelujah hoedown going on that would have shaken heaven, and that would have shaken the prison that Paul and Silas were locked in. It shook enough and so suddenly that it was like a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were thrown opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. {Acts 16:25-26} I certainly pray that excites you!

There is no place so remote or so dark that the Lord does not see you and know exactly what is going on in your life. It is only unrepentant sin that can cause us to hide from Him as with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. {Gen.3:8} Even there He knew what was going on. So, like the woman who had a hemorrhage for years, {Lk.8:43-44) just reach out and touch the hem of His garment. He is faithful and true and knows you far better than you do! He knows every hair on your head. {Mat.10:30}

You are on His mind and in His eye, and in the palm of His hand. He cares for you! So…

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit;” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19)

THE LORD ALWAYS WATCHES OVER US