Superhero

​1 Peter 2:23 “He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, Who always judges fairly.” ~NLT
 
When I was little, I loved comic books. My favorite comic of a superhero was ‘Spider-man’. I had no idea why I liked that hero at the time but as I’ve grown, I realized I related to him as a boy growing up in this world. You see, Spider-man was unique. Not just his power, but him as a person.
 
Spider-man was a kid. He was 16 or 17 years old, in high school. He had to go to school and keep his grades up. His Uncle died so it was just him and his Aunt May. So now he had to get a job and help his aunt pay the bills.  And above all else, he was bitten by a radioactive spider that gave him superpowers. So, in addition to school, homework, and a job, he was saving the world as a masked superhero.
 
Now it’s the mask I want to talk about. He was doing good for all. Saving lives and putting bad guys in jail. But no one knew who he was. He was being bullied at school. Sometimes, because of his superhero job, he was late for work and often fired because of it. If only those who treated him so badly knew who he really was, he may have been treated kinder.
 
This is what living as a Christian is like. We wear the uniform God has given us every day, but to those who do not know Christ, they don’t see who we are. We tithe, we give our time, talent and money in the service of others, but the world still treats us badly. This treatment causes some Christians to give up. They give in to frustration and anger. As a result, they say things Christians shouldn’t say. They do things Christians should not do.
 
The bible says in first Peter chapter 3 verse 20, “But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God.” Unlike Spiderman, you are being watched. God is always watching you, when the world treats you kind, and when the world treats you cruel. Be grateful that God will take care of his children and there is nothing the world can do to us that He cannot heal.
 
Unlike Spider-man, we as Christians don’t wear a mask, it’s just that those who do not know God, do not see Him in us. But as we endure the trials of this world, God begins to show Himself to all around us and reveal His power through us as He reveals Himself to them. This result saves lives. We were called to this as it says in verse 21, “For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.” ~CSB
 
In His own way God called us to be superheroes in His name. But we must endure and follow the same steps as Christ. No matter what happens, we must not “…retaliate…” when insulted. We must not “…threaten revenge when we suffer…” We must be like Jesus and leave our case, “…in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.” 
 
In Jesus’ name, may God always bless and keep you embodied in His peace,
 
Amen

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