" Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,"
1Peter 3:13-18 (NIV)
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:8-14 (NIV)
A few weeks ago our pastor told a joke about an elderly lady who was in a nursing home about to die. Her grand daughter came in while she was reading her bible. After the grand daughter sat patiently waiting for her dear grandmother to finish, she noticed that she was reading from chapter to chapter. The granddaughter's a lotted time she could spend talking to her grandmother was quickly slipping away. So gently the lady asked, "Grandmother, what are you doing?"
To which the Grandmother replied, "I'm cramming for finals dear!"
Many of us are in our last two weeks before Summer finals at school. Everything is quickly coming to an end in our present classes. It's so ironic that when they started I was so up tight I failed all my first tests. A math teacher looked at me and said, "What happened? I know you know this stuff." I was so tense I figured out the the problems, but coordinated the wrong answer to most of the problems.
Life can be like that, can't it? We know the right thing to do, but left on our own guidance, we choose the wrong solution. Then it seems we'll never find our way back, but somehow God always takes us back.
As my math teacher pointed out, we need to relax and just take it one step at a time, slowly and methodically, knowing God is in control. "It's a test-not a matter of life and death!" If we fail God will probably make us go back through the same thing until we get it right with Him. Things really do go better with Jesus-not Coke a Cola.
