Suffering For What Is Right

The Bible is clear that persecution will come our way (2 Timothy 3:12, Matthew 24:9). Peter says if you are insulted for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. 2 Timothy tells us that anyone who wishes to be godly and refined into the image of Jesus will be persecuted. James says, count it all joy whenever you face trials (James 1:2).

It might not be our favorite promise in the Bible, but the fact is that we will receive pushback from the world for following Christ. Jesus was persecuted unto death. We may not die in persecution, but we must be ready for the world to hate us.

Our aim is not to please the world but to please God.

We aim to love the world but not appease the world.

We are in the world, but we are different.

No one likes to be hated; we all want to be liked. But Jesus was hated by some. It's a privilege to suffer with him in this way. The truth of the Word even divides families and loved ones. But we are called to follow Christ and him alone. And he provides us with family in the community of Christ.

One of the reasons we will suffer is our steadfastness to the Word of God (Mark 4:7). When we hold to the correctly interpreted Word of God, it will upset people. It will even bother people in the church who are unwilling to walk the narrow way (God's way). Mark tells us that Christians who have received Christ will stumble due to the persecution that comes with believing and living his word. (There are many examples of the kinds of things in the Word that will cause people to stumble like LBGTQI issues, tithing and giving, abortion, etc.)

The things to remember when you are suffering for what is right: your reward is great, great is the love and peace God gives, and his comfort is great. The good news is your reward is great (Matthew 5:10-12). When you share in Christ's sufferings, you also share in his glory. People will condemn, insult, and abuse you (this is what the word "revile" means). People will slander you and lie about you because of the anger in their hearts. But the suffering will all be worth it when we go home to be with him.

Great is love and peace (Romans 8:35). God’s love and faithfulness are with us in every trial (Psalms 34:18). There is no trial, persecution, or tribulation that can separate us from him. It may be as though he is far away, not present in the suffering, but he is right there with us.

God can give you great comfort, (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Being able to comfort others in their suffering is an honor. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. This is the description of God that we need to hold on to in suffering. When you have experienced the comfort of God, you will be able to pass the heart of God and his comfort to others. When comforted by him, we learn his ways, his heart of compassion, and nature. We replicate it when we see others in pain.

Prayer Point: Father, give me a heart that loves others and prays for my enemies even though they persecute me. I pray that as I endure persecution for the sake of the Word of God, I would remember that my reward in you is great; you are my comfort and my shield, and nothing separates me from your love.