“Blessed is he who does not freak out over the way I do things.”                 Matthew 11:6

OK, so I paraphrased. 

Sometime back in 1992, I wrote that next to Matthew 11:6  in the margins of my Bible.  The real verse contains the words of Christ.  “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me”.

We don’t usually think in terms of God “offending” us.  But one Bible dictionary defines the Greek word for offending as, “to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey”.

If you’re honest, have you ever been offended at the way God is handling things?  Has something He has done – or not done – caused you to distrust Him?

The choice is ours.  Promised blessings based on unwavering, tenacious trust in spite of how things look to us, or offense based on  absent or faltering faith.

I think I’ll take the blessings.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.     1 Peter 1:6-7

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”     Luke 11:28

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.    1 Peter 4:12