On The Road Marked With Suffering
1 Peter 4.12 - 16
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'Rejoice in suffering' (1 Peter 4:12-16)? Is Peter serious here? Could he actually mean that when we encounter suffering for being Christians, that we should literally rejoice about it?
Yes.
By being a standard-bearer for Christ, we will encounter suffering. But that suffering only serves to reveal His glory and is ultimately a blessing to us.
How, exactly? Because, according to Peter, when we suffer for the name of Christ, we’ll find the Spirit of glory and of God resting upon us. Pretty comforting.
So, we needn’t be ashamed of our suffering, but instead we need to praise God because we have the honour of bearing His name. The name itself is greater than our suffering will ever be.
His name is magnificent. It is a privilege to bear it and all that it contains. Jesus bore the name, and He suffered. Gloriously suffered.
We, too, bear the name, and we, too, will suffer. Maybe not to the same extent, but we know that when it comes, we somehow will have the ability to rejoice in it.
Blessed Be Your Name Devotional by Matt and Beth Redman, pp.95-96
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