The Necessary Thing

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Today's Passage> 1 Peter 3: 8-22
Memory Verse> 1 Peter 8:15

As believers, we are in amazing company. We share in the glory of the disciples and all those who lived and died in Christ after them. We share in the joy of knowing that, no matter how many trials arise, God is always there to strengthen and sustain us. But more than that, we share in the hope that persecution, or suffering for doing good, is worth going through.

Persecution is defined as the act of being mistreated or abused, especially for religious reasons. We greatly sympathize with those who have to endure it, many times voicing our outrage that it even has to happen to them. But the very essence of being a Christian, as much as we may want to avoid facing this fact, is being ready and willing to go through persecution. A look at the lives of those who've gone before us will answer the question: "Is persecution necessary?". God, in His great wisdom, figures this into the equation and allows this as part of the process that makes us who He's calling us to be.

With this in mind, how exactly do you maintain hope in the middle of this necessary thing? Does God expect us to paste this smile on our faces and pretend as though everything were perfect? What purpose does it even serve TO have this blessed hope when one's world is crashing? Again the answers are found in the biblical examples that were left as landmarks. Scourged, crucified, and rejected by His own because He declared Himself to be the Son of God, Jesus endured the pain and shame of the cross. What was He holding on to, and where did it come from? Better yet, why did He hold on to it? The hope was in God's promise that those who did not see but believed anyway would be given a crown of righteousness.

For Christ, Who was already righteous, it was necessary to hold on to that hope because He was the first fruit of the promise that salvation would be made available to every man who accepted it. Can you see Him standing there the whole time He was being hit by the cat' o nine tails? Every lash was for what He was winning for us. While He didn't bear that agony with smiles on His face, He bore it with the promise that it was not in vain. Every blow we are dealt can be withstood in the same way-- because our children's children are coming after us, and we must still set the standard for them to uphold in this world. Just as Jesus saw us, we must see them and reach for that promise with every ounce within us. May our hearts burn with the same fire as all those who were loved by the Father, as we boldly declare, "We CAN do the necessary thing!"

Prayer: Father, You are so loving. You have prepared us to reach for the provision even in the midst of mistreatment. We want You to be glorified no matter what. We hold on to the blessed hope, which will allow us to not take matters into our own hands. Use us always, and speak through us when the time is right in Jesus' Name. Amen.