FRIDAY September 22nd
1 Peter 3:13–17
‘Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.’
I mentioned a few devotions previously that Peter has much to say about the subject of suffering for the gospel. It is a subject he mentions a number of times and he does so because at the time of his writing this letter many believers for suffering as a result of their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see in the book of Acts that immediately after the Day of Pentecost, as soon as the apostles began to preach Jesus and salvation as being found only in and through his name they were persecuted, and they willingly suffered because they were willing to count the cost of what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jeus Christ.
Today in the 21st century, Christians are still being persecuted, and although it is limited in our own nation, our brothers and sisters in many other nations are going through tremendous suffering and persecution, some being imprisoned, some being tortured for their faith. The testimony of those who are undergoing such severe persecution should stand out as an example to us who live in a relatively free nation to live out our faith, for despite the ongoing hatred towards them they still live for Jesus and will still do all they can to ensure that they can get to a place where they can be in fellowship with other believers. Sadly, here in the western world, we almost have an attitude which for many is ‘I will go to Church if I feel like it’ rather than ‘I will go to Church because I need it and must be in fellowship’.
May we pray earnestly for the persecuted Church, that God will continue to strengthen those who are undergoing severe suffering, that God’s grace will be sufficient for them. At the same time pray for own nation, which is fast turning its back upon God and his righteous ways, praying that God will visit us again with revival.
Because I touched on the subject of suffering when I was sharing on 1 Peter on Friday evenings in our Bible Studies, I will adapt from those studies the subject matter for our next few devotions, which will cover the other references that Peter makes concerning suffering in his epistle.