Go Saints!
When you don’t feel much like a saint, it can help to talk about it, and also spend time in prayer. We are always here to pray with you!
“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance…they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.” Hebrews 11:13 & 16
Most American high schools have sports teams with names intended to spur on player and spectator fervor: Challengers, Chiefs, Tigers, etc. Before big games, enthusiasts frequently display the team name on signs and even on car windows. Recently I passed a car with the name of their team boldly painted on the rear window: “Go Saints!”
During troublesome times, whether centered on personal tragedy or national difficulties, people need encouragement. Just like the cheerleaders on the sidelines at a football game, we need people to cheer us on too. Writing in the first century to Christian beginning to undergo heavy persecution, Peter gives very specific lifestyle instructions:
“Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it…live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices… Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens…Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity.” (1 Peter 2:11-17, The Message)
Peter knew the tendency under persecution would be to cower or hide out, or—in another extreme—to lash out at those using harassment or bullying as means of belittling one’s faith. Men and women in areas of the world where persecution occurs today give us living examples of the lifestyle Peter encourages. “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.” (1 Peter 2:21-25, The Message)
Peter says, “Go Saints!”
Father, thank you for the millions of men and women who have faithfully and boldly marched through the annals of time as your children. They now rest in the “better country,” but have left us with the task. Be with us and give us strength. Amen.
Questions: What saints inspire you to keep on keeping on? What encouragement can you give to others who are going through difficult times?
About this Author: Marilyn Ehle
