Marvel Not, Indeed

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     There are many occasions in God’s Word wherein believers are told to “marvel not.”  Jesus told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, to marvel not that He said one must be born again to receive eternal life. He says in John 5:27, 28 to marvel not that all judgment has been given to God the Son by God the Father to execute judgment as the Son of Man, and that the day is coming in which ALL tombs are going to be opened and the dead summoned to come forth, to receive one of two different resurrections—one unto eternal life or unto eternal death!  Jesus warns us in the gospels, and in 1 John 3:13 to marvel not if the world hates you, sons and daughters of God, for we are those who by His grace have passed out of death into life, because we love one another. I’m convinced that He makes these statements throughout the Word not only to deepen our trust in Jesus, but also to allay all anxiety or fretting over the emboldened godlessness that has visibly intensified in the world, and in some instances infiltrated many protestant churches operating under the banner of Christianity.
      The ongoing workings of the evil one in this world, revealed in every sphere of human life, should not cause us to fret; rather, let us not forget, “…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18) Moreover, if we do occasionally find ourselves “in marvel mode,” we should simply and, with calm assurance, affirm God’s truth in our heart and resist all inclinations toward astonishment. If the offending party professes to know Christ, pray for them, as well as for ourselves, lest we, too, respond sinfully to things said or done in our midst; and again, marvel not!

PRAYER:  Dear Abba, please remind us that as those who’ve been called to follow after Christ, we are called to always walk in  peace—peace of mind and heart, and that efforts to rob us of that peace ultimately come from the enemy of our souls.  We’ve been forearmed by Your word; help us to be ever mindful to act like You’re telling us the truth, because You are not as a man who lies. Thank You in Christ’s precious  name; Amen.
By Denise Diggs