Suffering unjustly?

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1 Pet 2:19; For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
1 Pet 2:20; For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
1 Pet 2:21; For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
1 Pet 2:22; WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;
1 Pet 2:23; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
1 Pet 2:24; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

I've heard some pastors say, nothing you do makes God like you more or less. Yet I see several places in the
Bible where this isn't true. "This finds favor". Apparently some things do NOT find favor with God.
Sometimes life isn't fair. But sometimes, it is. When we suffer for doing something wrong we may not complain about it because we know we deserve it. But what about when we suffer even though we didn't do anything wrong? Do we complain then?
"For you have been called for this purpose". We are supposed to be salt and light to the world. We are supposed to be an example to those around us, just as Jesus was an example to us. What kind of example are you setting?

 

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Luke 6:27; "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Luke 6:28; bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:29; "Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
Luke 6:30; "Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.
Luke 6:31; "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
Luke 6:32; "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
Luke 6:33; "If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Luke 6:34; "If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

It seems many Christians are all about "being fair". I will this for someone, if they do that for me.
I will like someone if they like me. Hmmmm... in that case there will be many people in this world that you will probably never like, much less "love".
Maybe you like your friends and family. Maybe you just like doing things for them. It says even the un-saved do this. So if you're only doing this,
what kind of example are you setting? What kind of light are you shining forth?
When you do something for someone, do you always expect them to return the favor? Or do you just do it out of the goodness of your heart because it's the "right thing" to do?

If you do this.. "you will be sons of the Most High". That's great, I can be a son of God. But what if I don't do this?

 

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Matt 5:10; "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 5:11; "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Matt 5:12; "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 5:13; "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
Matt 5:14; "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Matt 5:15; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Matt 5:16; "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Have you ever been treated unfairly? Suffered unjustly? Accused falsely for the sake of Jesus? You will be blessed for these things.
What did you do about it? Sue them? Strike them back? Get even? Post a derogatory meme about them on facebook?
You are supposed to be salt and light.... you are supposed to be the Jesus some people see in this world. How are you doing?
Are you still "salty"? Or are you "no longer good for anything, and ready to be trampled under foot"?

 

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Jas 1:2; Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
Jas 1:3; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Jas 1:4; And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Jas 1:12; Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Jas 1:13; Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Jas 1:14; But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Jas 1:15; Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

We are supposed to consider trials a joy... not always easy to do... but why are we supposed to do this?
Our trials are not for God's sake. Our trials are for our sake!! This is how we know how we are doing in our walk.
The "testing of your faith" is what produces endurance. Endurance is required to finish the race.
Endurance is required to "persevere under trial". How are you doing in your trials? Do you rejoice in them? ( I don't
always rejoice in them myself ). But if we do persevere under trial... we will be approved, and we will receive the crown of life.
The crown of life God promised to those who love Him. - If we love Him we will keep His commandments.
But what about those who don't persevere? What about those who have left their first love?

 

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Rev 2:2; 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
Rev 2:3; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.
Rev 2:4; 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Rev 2:5; 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
Rev 2:6; 'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

The church at Ephesus seems to be doing a lot of good things here. They have good deeds, ans they have perseverance, and they know how to test false apostles. The hate evil men, and they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitians. But yet somehow.... they left the trail. They started drifting.
They "LEFT" their first love. (Jesus) We are told to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
This word "left" is interesting here. In greek it is - aphiēmi
It doesn't say they lost their first first love. It says they left it. There is a difference between losing something and leaving something.
We don't voluntarily lose things. When we lose something, we don't know where it's at. We don't know where to find it.
But when we leave something or someone, it's a conscious choice, a voluntary act. We know where we left it. We just decided to walk away from it.

What is the lampstand here? I've heard several explanations. Maybe it's the Holy Spirit. Maybe it's just "the light" of Jesus.
I wonder if there are Christians and churches in the world today, where "the light" of Jesus has gone out, because they "left" Jesus.
They left their first love. Do you love Jesus? Are you doing the things He says you will do if you love Him? Are you doing what He
says you need to do to abide in His love?

 

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Jude 1:21; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

We are told to keep "ourselves" in the love of God. So how do we do that?

John 14:15; "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
John 14:21; "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him."
John 15:10; "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
1 Jn 5:3; For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.