THE ROYAL ROAD
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Opening Prayer
As I come to read your Word today, Father, I thank you for its life- giving and life-sustaining message.
Read 1 PETER 4:12–19
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Suffering for Being a Christian
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Reflect
Jesus never sugar-coated the realities of commitment. His birth was hard, and in life, he had no illusions.
Few of us would use ‘suffering’ as it is used in verse 13 with the same thrust of meaning, but in this passage, the invitation is to revisit our expectations. Instead of surprise or disappointment bordering on fear, we are invited to embrace and look forward to sufferings and trials. No reason is offered for this, except that the very same glory that Jesus now enjoys is reserved for us should we get through these trials.
Before moving on, ask yourself one question. Looking back, would you agree that you grew the most—spiritually, mentally, and perhaps even emotionally—when you went through peculiar and difficult circumstances? Would you say that you had actively prayed for such difficulties? Did these not just arrive uninvited and unwelcome, and did you resist them? The key words in this passage are ‘but’ (v. 13) and that tiny, game-changing word, ‘if’ (vv. 14, 15, 16). These words make all the difference. Let’s rethink any long-cherished beliefs about how life ought to be smooth. Let’s revisit such assumptions. Reject them, and you will find that you will be even more welcoming to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit engineers plans for our eternal good and—dare to admit it—our eternal glory (v. 14).
These statements are not merely theological. Peter offers us a hard dose of reality. If glory is there for those of us willing to suffer, then judgment awaits those who oppose obedience (v. 17). There are no soft choices in life, but neither is suffering a waste if we surrender to the will of a wise Creator. That’s the key: willingness.
Apply
Was Jesus’ life essentially wasted because he did not see the results of his death on the cross? If you believe not, consider initiating one practice from today’s passage.
Closing prayer
Hosanna! Lord Jesus, indeed, you did come, and you now abide in me—never to leave me and always for me. As I abide in you, help me to celebrate those marvelous truths in new ways, in ways that point others to you.
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