Suffering For Christ

-

 


Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-16 (The Message)

Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.

14–16     If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others.

Devotion:

            How foreign to our ears these words in verse 12 must sound to our 21st century ears. Being glad when we suffer is not our default response. When our life gets hard, we naturally cry out to God thinking he has abandoned us. Peter’s letter indicates that instead of complaining to God if we are suffering for being a Christian we should rejoice. God is at work through our pain and suffering even if we cannot see it.

            Jesus taught this same principle in the beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel chapter 5 verses 11-12 “11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (ESV) We as believers must be prepared to suffer for Jesus name and for the gospel which we proclaim. The proverbial writing is on the wall that here in the United States religion particularly the Christian religion is being tolerated less and less. The freedom of religion which was a central idea in the founding of our country is in increasing danger of revocation in favor of other “rights” deemed more important.

            Our culture has largely taken the stance that Christianity is at best irrelevant or at worst dangerous to a healthy culture. We, as Christians need to step up to the plate and take our turn at bat combating these inaccurate portrayals of Christianity. We will undoubtedly suffer for standing up for the gospel, and we must not be surprised by it. We must trust that God will be able to deliver us from all our trials and bring us safely into his kingdom.

            Therefore, let us prepare ourselves for the spiritual battles that lie ahead. Taking on the full armor of God to protect us against our foe the devil. Let us guard our lips and hearts against that day when we will give an account before men for our beliefs. That we would be willing to suffer whatever the world seeks to do to us with a positive spirit and a joyful heart. Let us pray that we would stand fast in that day.

Prayer:

            O holy and mighty God, help us prepare ourselves for the battles that lie ahead. Help us keep our hearts, minds, and souls unstained from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Help us to remember to put on your complete armor that we may be able to defeat the enemy and escape spiritually strengthened for the next battle that lies ahead of us. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more