1 Peter 3:13-17 KJV
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Verse 13 says that God is able to keep us from harm if we are followers of that which is good. However, even those who are followers of that which is good suffer for righteousness sake and verse 17 says that when it happens, it is the will of the Lord.
God sometimes wills that Christians, even those who are following after that which is good, suffer for well doing. In some cases, His will is that more suffer than that do not. For centuries those who lived the closest to the Lord suffered the most in this life. There has been a respite from that in some countries of the world but that does not mean that God does not will for some Christians to suffer for well doing or that there will not be a time when Christians suffer in a greater way than we do at present.
My challenge is to be happy in the Lord regardless. If God chooses to protect me, I may praise the Lord. However, if God chooses to allow me to suffer, I am still to be happy in Christ.
God's will is the key to this. I must reconcile in my mind that God's will is the principle thing. So long as God is glorified then I may be happy, no matter what may be happening to me.
This is not fatalism. This is to find a cause greater than self. And when a man has a cause that is greater than himself he is always at his highest. We honor those who have suffered and even died for the cause of their country. Greater still is to do the same for the cause of Jesus Christ.
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Verse 13 says that God is able to keep us from harm if we are followers of that which is good. However, even those who are followers of that which is good suffer for righteousness sake and verse 17 says that when it happens, it is the will of the Lord.
God sometimes wills that Christians, even those who are following after that which is good, suffer for well doing. In some cases, His will is that more suffer than that do not. For centuries those who lived the closest to the Lord suffered the most in this life. There has been a respite from that in some countries of the world but that does not mean that God does not will for some Christians to suffer for well doing or that there will not be a time when Christians suffer in a greater way than we do at present.
My challenge is to be happy in the Lord regardless. If God chooses to protect me, I may praise the Lord. However, if God chooses to allow me to suffer, I am still to be happy in Christ.
God's will is the key to this. I must reconcile in my mind that God's will is the principle thing. So long as God is glorified then I may be happy, no matter what may be happening to me.
This is not fatalism. This is to find a cause greater than self. And when a man has a cause that is greater than himself he is always at his highest. We honor those who have suffered and even died for the cause of their country. Greater still is to do the same for the cause of Jesus Christ.
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