When you do all you can, Jesus will give you everything you need. As believers in Christ, our main objective is to lead others to the gospel. In Mark 2, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the house he was staying in overflowed with visitors. People packed together to see and hear from Jesus. Four men had the goal of carrying a paralyzed man to Jesus, knowing he was the only one who could heal him.
They knew the crowd was too large, so they dug a hole through the roof to get this man to Jesus. When these four men got the paralyzed man to Jesus, Jesus healed him! This is a perfect example of what we as Christians are supposed to do! We have to be committed, and willing to do whatever it takes to share the gospel and bring the brokenhearted to Jesus!
"They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, 'My child, your sins are forgiven.'"
—Mark 2:4-5
Effort comes before peace. As Christians, we sometimes begin to think that we automatically deserve peace. We find ourselves thinking, “God, I believe in you. Why are you putting me through this?” In 2 Peter, we are told that it takes effort to know God before we get to experience the peace of God. “In view of all of this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 To achieve these things, it requires hard work! To inherit peace, we have to do more than just believe in the facts, we have to grow in our Christian character!
“So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
—2 Peter 1:10-11
Check yourself before you wreck yourself. When someone says something or does something wrong towards you, God commands us to let it go. This is a hard thing for humans because our natural instinct is to defend ourselves. We have to remember that our greatest weapon is scripture.
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, repay them with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.”
—1 Peter 3:9
People will test you. As a Christian college student, I know this one to be especially true. When you become saved, the people that you sinned with almost become offended when you don’t sin with them anymore. This is a hard one because it usually means losing friends.
“Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.”
—1 Peter 4:4-5
College is a confusing and stressful time in our lives. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel like we are failing. We have to keep our faith in God, because without faith, what do we really have?
“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
—2 Corinthians 12:9-10
