Persecutions Are For Our Benefit

Thursday, 29 April 2021

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” – II Timothy 3:12 NKJV 

Light is in stark contrast to darkness. When we live godly we stand out in the spirit. A city on the hill cannot be hidden, nor a lamp on the table. When we live right, or as the Bible puts it, practice righteousness, it’s as if we stir up the hornet’s nest – and yes we do against the kingdom of darkness. We suffer persecution for living right. We don’t suffer persecution for living awry. This distinction must be made.

When you are living contrary to the word of GOD you suffer repercussion for your behavior, not persecution. The latter is suffering unjustly. Believers have these occurrences mixed up, wittingly or otherwise. They call repercussion persecution and vice versa. Persecution is injustice meted out against the godly. It’s worth reiterating here that a lot of pastors and their churches suffer for their wrongdoing and label it persecution to mislead all and sundry. This is very sad and unfortunate. Wrong must be called out and repented of.

With the above said, let’s arm ourselves mentally to face whatever we must in the world that is increasingly hostile towards Christians who desire to live godly and be fruitful in the kingdom of their GOD. Eugene H. Peterson in the Message Bible puts it this way, “Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it.” Indeed, it’s our lot in this fading life of ours. However, we must never make the mistake of forgetting that ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men’.

“Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours,” I Corinthians 3:21-22. All things are for our benefit! GOD causes all of them to work together for our good. We win whichever way, and that’s the bottom line. It’s predestined like that for all children of God. This is His wisdom. In the dark we shine brighter, when put under pressure we come out tops. Persecutions are for our benefit, just as everything else is. 

For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; – 2 Corinthians 4:17