Suffering for Being a Christian
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
I just always have this image of me floating into Heaven in a beam of light and then doing the Nelson laugh from the simpsons at those who did not believe, but then that would be wrong.
Praise the Lord for He has suffered and gave it all for us. To us the salvation we do not deserve has been offered to us through the cruxificion of His one and only Son who stepped down from His 'what the heck awesome' throne to save a jerk like me. He calls us friends and assures us, "do not be afraid if you are suffering because of me for you have been already saved."
The passage is similar to 1 Peter 3 : 8-22. There are two different kinds of sufferings: suffering through punishment because of an evil deed compared to suffering because you believe in Christ. I'm sure that we've all had our share of questions thrown at us for believing in God. If you read my blog from 2 days ago, I shared a similar incident. But do not fret my brothers and sisters for we have already won. Do not be ashamed for the Lord has already giving us salvation. So let us continue doing good and what God wants. I for one will remain faithful to God even in these tough times.
Amen.
1 comment:
"Let justice and praise become my embrace"-let this be our cry as Christians! If righteousness is what we desire, God is more than happy to oblige. I enjoy reading your blogs Aaron; I think that as fellow co-leaders we should be more open in our spiritual walks, and this is a great way for us to do so.
Post a Comment