Facing difficult duties can be fearful, but it is dangerous to not do so, even deadly. It is better to be fearful yet faithful than foolish. We are never excused from duty because it is difficult or dangerous. The only safe place is the center of God’s will. J. R. Miller said it well when he wrote the following:

“The only safe way in life’s thronging field—is straight on in the path of duty. He who falters and hesitates even for one instant, is trodden down by the marching hosts behind him. No danger of the battle is so great—as that of halting and trying to turn backward.

The same is true in all the paths of life. No duty, however hard and perilous, should be feared one-half so much as failure in the duty. People sometimes shrink from responsibility, saying they dare not accept it because it is so great. But in shrinking from duty—they are really encountering a far more serious condition than that which they evade. It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is—than to face the responsibility of not doing it. We have abundant assurance that we shall receive all the strength we need to perform any duty God allots to us; but if we fall out of the line of obedience, and refuse to do anything which we ought to do, we find ourselves at once out of harmony with God’s law and God’s providence, and cannot escape the consequences of our failure.

So it is always in the end easier and infinitely safer to do our duty, whatever it may involve of cost or peril, than not to do it. To drop out of the ranks in life’s crowded pathway—is to lose all. To neglect opportunities, is to throw away honors and crowns.”

“The gospel of our salvation.” Ephesians 1:13

Our salvation is our deliverance from sin, the curse, and the wrath of God; this was impossible to man, but God sent His own Son in our nature, to save us freely, fully and eternally. The gospel is the “good news of our salvation.” It is sent to inform us that God is love; that grace reigns; that heaven is opened; that provision is made for our guilt, weakness, and fears; that God waits to receive us, bless us, and glorify us with Himself for ever. It sets before us all Christ has done, all He possesses, and invites us to come and receive, to use, and be happy. It requires nothing of us to entitle us, it presents all it has, and gives it freely to the poor, the halt, the maimed, and the blind. It has all our misery requires, all our wants demand; we cannot wish for more than it brings; it is full of grace, and full of glory. Precious gospel! Glorious news! May we receive it, act upon it daily, and so be happy. It is intended to fill us with joy and peace in believing, to lead us to abound in hope, and to make us more than conquerors over despondency, doubt, and fear. (James Smith, 1840)

For you the purple current flowed,
In pardons from His wounded side;
Languished for you the eternal God;
For you the Prince of glory died;
Believe, and all your sins forgiven;
Only believe, and yours is heaven.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 1 Corinthians 1:10-11

Senior Living said: A man and his wife were walking through a park in Miami one afternoon when they saw a Cuban family enjoying a picnic. The family was tossing scraps of bread to a raccoon and saying repeatedly, “Oye, chico, ven aca” (Come here, boy!).

The man thought for a moment and laughed. He confessed to his wife that his first reaction was, “That’s silly. Raccoons don’t speak Spanish!”

Whatever our background, it’s our nature to see the world through our own experiences. This can sometimes create a problem when well-meaning people from different backgrounds try to resolve conflict, each carrying his or her own assumptions for how the world “should” work.

When we look at much of the disunity in our churches today, this has been the crux of the issue: People from different ages, races, and backgrounds come together with their own ideas of how Christianity works. But the truth is that these ideas are just that… ideas. They’re preferences based on our own life experiences.

To have unity in our churches, we as members must submit our preferences to a simple question: What is the best way to carry out the Great Commandment of loving God and loving people? So instead of just fighting for what seems right to you, question your own assumptions and be part of the conversation for how to move forward in unity!

Ask God to help you see your opinions on non-biblical matters as secondary to unity in the Body of Christ.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.1 Peter 5:10

Such a little while…. a very little while, The late Dr. Gordon loved to read it, Yet a little while, how little, how little! which is the literal rendering of the Greek. A little while! compared with the eternal years; with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; with the compensations which await us in the Home of God. Though our life were one long agony, it would seem but as yesterday when it is past; a dream, or a sleepless watch in the night, when the morning breaks.
There is a limitation to our suffering. It is only for a little while; but every moment has been fixed by the immutable purpose and love of God. The hour of darkness is timed with an exact measurement. You shall not suffer one moment more than is absolutely necessary for your perfecting of God’s glory; and for every moment there is an ample supply of grace.

But remember also that in Christ God has called you to his Eternal Glory. You heard that call years ago, and have been following it through days of evil and nights of pain. But the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, and He is waiting to fulfill his eternal purpose. What a banquet that will be when God will satisfy the expectations of those whom He has called to partake of it! And the suffering is being used in ways you little understand to perfect, stablish, and strengthen you. It is from sick chambers and torture-rooms that God brings forth his veteran hosts in the day of battle. Think not so much of affliction as of the love of Christ, and the blessedness of being like Him and with Him for ever.

Some time ago an article appeared in the Reader’s Digest telling about a  most unusual tree called the “Bristlecone Pine.” Growing in the western  mountain regions, sometimes as high as two or more miles above sea level,  these evergreens may live for thousands of years. The older specimens often
have only one thin layer of bark on their trunks. Considering the habitat of  these trees, such as rocky areas where the soil is poor and precipitation is slight, it seems almost incredible that they should live so long or even survive at all.

The environmental “adversities,” however, actually contribute to their longevity. Cells that are produced as a result of these perverse conditions are densely arranged, and many resin canals are formed within the plant. Wood that is so structured continues to live for an extremely long period of time. The author Darwin Lambert says in his article, “Bristlecone Pines in richer conditions grow faster, but die earlier and soon decay.” The harshness of their surroundings, then, is a vital factor in making them strong and sturdy. How similar this is to the experience of the Christian who graciously accepts the hardships God allows to come into his life.– F B Meyer

While everything depends on prayer, prayer isn’t everything we ought to do. We need to put feet to our prayers. If we expect God to do what we can’t we must do what we can. As someone long ago said, ” God feeds the sparrow, but He doesn’t throw the worm in its nest. J. R. Miller put it this way: