Daily Devotional

Sunday, 25th September

Topic: The rewards of suffering for Christ

Bible Passage: Peter 14:12-19

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you as though something strange was happening to you” (v.12).

Our passage shows that every sincere and committed believer in Christ Jesus must suffer. This is simply because our faith in Christ goes through suffering. Christ our Savior suffered all kinds of terrible things beside the open shame at the cross. God uses our difficulties of life to sharpen and shape us to conform to His nature. Our passage further says that we should condition our minds to accommodate the suffering, knowing that he that suffers has ceased from sin.

In other words, it is through suffering that power of sins is destroyed in us. Through suffering a person begins to walk in obedience to God. It was said that the Lord of lords and King of kings himself learnt obedience by the things he suffered. The Son of God was made perfect through suffering (Heb. 5:8-9).

Nevertheless we are not expected generate our suffering by ourselves through sin. Such suffering does not go with God’s divine reward along with promotion. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or as a wrong-doer, or a mischief-maker” (vs. 15-16).

Tell me, since the author of our salvation learnt, obedience through offering. Ought we not to suffer even more? It is through suffering that the man of sin is destroyed in us so that our life in the flesh is no longer led by human passion.

God placed our glory in a way to manifest after suffering. Paul said the suffering of the present time we face cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). As Christ our Lord suffered before His glory was revealed, His followers ought to suffer even the more. We are to separate ourselves from the world, not joining them in their life of licentiousness, passion, idolatry, instead through suffering we should keep our bodies under subjection so that we will qualify for God’s precious Kingdom.

 As a child of God you may be going through some terrible sufferings. Some of them may be affliction or hardship of shameful painful condition. The apostle that went before us suffered in varied before us suffered in varied proportions in their time; in fact some of them suffered till death and are risen in glory. Let your heart be strong be courageous in righteousness.

Every suffering has expiry date as it is temporary. 2Cor 4:15-16, God will surely see you through; your suffering must be concluded with promotion.

Action: All that will leave righteously must suffer persecution that is followed by glorification.

Prayer Points:

1.       Oh God my Father, give me a mindset that understands sufferings as part of the Christian life.

2.       Turn around every of my suffering for good O God.

3.       Oh God, strengthen the suffering Christians all over the world and help them to overcome at last.