If you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are you....1 Peter 3 : 14
The motto of the old Moravians and the badge attached to their motto, was an ox with a plough an one side, and an altar on the other, and underneath in Latin....Ready for Either
Ready for service to plough hard ground.....ready for sacrifice , to be offered up in death
Sometimes we Christian preachers give the impression that all the hearers have to do is to turn to Christ, and that is the end to all the difficulties of life; the end of all the sufferings they may have to face, or at least - a great modification of it......They won't have the problems of none Christians
Peter would never have talked like that.....Paul never talked like that...Becoming a Christian not only means believing on Jesus and going to be with Him for all eternity when we die, but 'unto you' says Paul, writing to the church at Phillipi ' is graciously granted not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His Name's sake
'Go and tell Saul...said our LOrd to Ananias how great things he must suffer for my sake'.
Now we read very clearly in these verses that we may have to suffer. We read at the same time that we cannot be harmed by the suffering. "Who is he that will harm you if you follow that which is good" (v13)
They may hurt your body, may hurt your eyes, may hurt your ears, feet, hands, mind, may main youir body....but they cannot harm you. You are not your body....just living there for a short time...and then bye and bye....to be with Jesus which is far better
And at His coming to be given a glorious resurrection body...which will surpass all that we know here
The motto of the old Moravians and the badge attached to their motto, was an ox with a plough an one side, and an altar on the other, and underneath in Latin....Ready for Either
Ready for service to plough hard ground.....ready for sacrifice , to be offered up in death
Sometimes we Christian preachers give the impression that all the hearers have to do is to turn to Christ, and that is the end to all the difficulties of life; the end of all the sufferings they may have to face, or at least - a great modification of it......They won't have the problems of none Christians
Peter would never have talked like that.....Paul never talked like that...Becoming a Christian not only means believing on Jesus and going to be with Him for all eternity when we die, but 'unto you' says Paul, writing to the church at Phillipi ' is graciously granted not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His Name's sake
'Go and tell Saul...said our LOrd to Ananias how great things he must suffer for my sake'.
Now we read very clearly in these verses that we may have to suffer. We read at the same time that we cannot be harmed by the suffering. "Who is he that will harm you if you follow that which is good" (v13)
They may hurt your body, may hurt your eyes, may hurt your ears, feet, hands, mind, may main youir body....but they cannot harm you. You are not your body....just living there for a short time...and then bye and bye....to be with Jesus which is far better
And at His coming to be given a glorious resurrection body...which will surpass all that we know here