WEDNESDAY September 27th
1 Peter 3:13–14
‘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.’
1 Peter 4:1-2
‘Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.’
Following on from yesterday, here it is again ‘Christ suffered’. If we truly desire to live in total obedience to or for the will of God, we have to ‘arm ourselves with the same way of thinking’, that means we have to be willing to be like Jesus, following his example which was a perfect example.
For us it means saying ‘NO’ to the world, NO to the desires of the flesh, NO to the old sinful nature and NO to the ideals that the world follows that are opposite to God’s ideals.
It is saying ’YES’ to God, YES to his ways, YES to walking in the Spirit, YES to living by the Spirit, therefore, it will mean that somewhere along our course, our pilgrimage as strangers and foreigners or exiles, it will lead to us having to suffer, maybe through ridicule, maybe through rejection, maybe even at times feeling we are friendless and isolated, being the lone voice in the school, college or university, being the only one who stands up for righteousness and godly morals in the work place, it may even be for some in the family home.
But out of our willingness to follow Christ’s example there will come joy! Even here in 1 Peter 4:4 Peter says that because we do not join in with the unbelievers behaviour, they will malign us, but remember that as you stand firm in your conviction, even if it leads to suffering, they themselves will one day have to give an account of their behaviour to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
As we continue to 1 Peter 4:12-19 we read,
‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.’
I wonder how often we have been surprised when we have suddenly had to suffer for our faith, or our willingness to stand up for the faith? Peter says don’t be surprised! If we look back over what I have already shared from this epistle, we will remember that we have been saved, we are being sanctified and we are sojourners as we make our way to the heavenly city.
Therefore who we are, what we think and how we behave is in stark contrast to those who do not believe (or should be, the line of demarcation has most definitely become blurred over the last few decades). Therefore we should expect to be opposed, we should expect to be alienated, we should expect to be ridiculed and maligned and at times to have to suffer, because we are no longer wanted in what has become a secular, post Christian age, the same way that men and women no longer wanted Jesus when they cried out ‘away with him’. But thank God he is still at work, still saving and still building his Church, he is still calling men and women who will be willing to take up the Cross, to deny themselves and if needed to be willing to suffer for his names sake.