Keeping a Good Spirit
Robert Wurtz II
I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 MKJV)
As we look around we see this present evil world growing darker by the day. Not that darkness has not always been here because it has. But over time the measures that God has put in place to slow the progress of evil have been circumvented and it seems we are on a fast track to Genesis 6. Jesus has told us plainly; In the world you shall have tribulation. When we think of this passage it is easy to think that He is referring to beatings, stonings, imprisonment, etc., but have you ever stopped to consider that any situation that has the potential of challenging our Christian witness is a tribulation. The Greek word simply means ‘pressure’ and comes from a root meaning ‘to crowd’.
I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 MKJV)
Our Lord wants us to have His peace. He wants us and has called and equipped us to overcome the world, just as He overcame. This is a daily thing. If we wait around for some great tribulation to come we risk missing the daily victories that God has designed for us. How will we ever stand before a Nero or a Pilate if we can’t keep the victory in the workplace or on the internet? What about when we are driving the highways and roads? Do we somehow feel an exemption then? There is never a time for ‘ugly’. The election is coming up as well. How will we act? Can we take a stand for righteousness in the person of Christ or will we make excuses for our so-called righteous indignations? The wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. (James 1) We have to keep a good spirit. It is our witness and the light we shed on this ever increasingly evil world that makes the difference.
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