PRESSED

Pressed

My brother was driving one day and saw someone who went to his church, so he honked to wave and say hello only to have the guy react and flip him off, this man then turned and realized what he had just done to one of his “brethren”.

How do you respond under pressure? When finances are tight or not there? When health is failing? Or when someone honks at you in traffic? It has been said that pressure does not make character as much as reveals it. It’s when the heat is on that we see what boils to the top. Oh we may say things “I don’t know what got into me,” but in fact it’s more what came out of me and like squeezing a tube of toothpaste when the pressure comes we see what was really inside us all along, we are just good at keeping it hidden most of the time.

In Acts Ch. 7 we read about Stephan, the first Christian martyr. We are told previously that people were induced to speak lies about him and then bring him before the Supreme Court of his day with these drummed up accusations. When he spoke up and they heard what he had to say, they became enraged and began to stone him to death. Definitely a pressure situation, yet when he had every right to be at his worst, he was at his best and as his life was crushed what came from him was not judgment or bitterness, what came from him was forgiveness and love, what came out of him was Jesus. Literally, his last words were not his own they were the same as Jesus the last moments of His life on the cross. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”

If indeed pressure does not make character but reveals it, then when Stephen’s life was crushed what it revealed was love and forgiveness, who we saw was Jesus. Who is in you?

It was estimated that 171,000 Christians were martyred in 2006

I received an invitation from Tim Bohler to be involved with another Extreme Home Makeover project. If you would like to be a part of this up in Victorville go to this website www.biabuild.com. Look for the Project 620 button!!!

Or email Tim @ tb2926@att.com