Read with Me
1 Peter 4:12-16 (HCSB)
Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler. But if anyone suffers as a “Christian,” he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name.
Listen with Me
Peter realized fully that many of those who would read or hear his words would be suffering for the cause of Christ. And the more faithfully they followed Jesus, the stronger their bond with Him, the more likely they would be to suffer. The darkness has no fight with those who keep their light hidden underneath a bowl, because those people are no threat. But those who let their light shine must be resisted by the darkness, because the light has the power to dissolve it, to dispel it completely.
Peter himself had suffered much as an emissary of the kingdom, and he knew that such trials would serve to strengthen one’s faith and resolve if a person leaned into it instead of pulling back, and if they were willing to rejoice that they were participating in the sufferings of Jesus Himself.
Peter understood that the key to enduring the suffering that is inevitable if we follow Jesus completely is more a matter of mindset than of raw reality. Suffering hurts no matter what form it may take. And suffering undeservedly is especially painful. If a person suffers punishment for some wrong that they have done, they can muster up the strength to endure it. But if we have done nothing wrong, especially if our focus has been on doing good, then suffering unjustly can lead to cynicism, bitterness, and even despair.
Peter reframes the situation for people who found themselves in that situation. Suffering for the cause of Christ is not strange but expected. It was foretold by Jesus Himself and was one of the costs that He said had to be counted before a person committed themselves to following Him (Luke 14:25-33). Suffering itself is an active participation in the suffering of Jesus (Acts 5:41). So, those who do suffer should not be ashamed, but should praise God that they are worthy of bearing the name of Jesus.
Pray with Me
Father, many Christians have been taught that the Christian life is a blessed life, one in which only good comes. And as a corollary they have been taught that if there is any pain or suffering, that is a sure sign that the person has stepped outside of Your will and Your blessing. It’s not a scriptural teaching at all, but it sounds good and is well-accepted. But then when suffering comes to those who know that they have not sinned, it introduces doubt, as well as fear that they have been completely misled. How much better it is to simply tell the truth, that even though the Christian life truly is blessed, it comes at a cost that must be counted. and a big part of that cost is being willing to push back against the darkness with the light of Jesus, and to suffer whatever consequences may come as a result. And in You, we can do that effectively, and even with praise on our lips! Thank you, Lord, for this encouragement. Amen.