ESOCS Devotional 4 December
TEXT: 1 PETER 4:1-11 KJV
MEMORY VERSE: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Matthew 5:11 KJV
In our text today, Peter encourages Christians all over the world, who are facing unjust suffering instigated by the devil and his agents, to remain perseverant, in the face of all odds. Here, he admonishes believers to endure courageously, what Jesus had also endured for their sakes; and by so doing, would be participating in His sufferings. He opines that such endurance would strengthen their faith and even help them to conquer sin, as they look forward to eternal glory in Christ (Matt. 5:10).
Jesus suffered in the flesh in order to bring redemption to all men (Ps. 22: 11-18, Mark 15: 34). It follows therefore that those who have responded to the grace of God that was manifested in the sacrificial offering of Jesus, must also be prepared to suffer persecution, as He did, in order to live with Him (Rom. 6:8).
Christianity, right from inception, has always been under severe attack, from the orthodox Jews, who saw the Jesus Movement as a threat to their “traditional religion.” From the Roman State, who saw Christianity as anti-Roman; and in contemporary times, from the world in general, Christianity is viewed by the anti-Christ as an anti-social movement. But Christians are hereby encouraged to continually reject and refuse to partake of such sinful behaviour as the world would love. Christians should be on their guard, to note when the normal practice of a society becomes sinful, and to take a stand against that which is contrary to the will of God. If they do not, believers would have disappointingly, lost their preserving influence on society (Matt. 5: 13-15). The divine mandate therefore is that all believers should learn to live with the mind of Christ, so we may faithfully occupy until he comes.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
CHALLENGES
- Christ was abused and unjustly assaulted severally; yet, he kept praying for and loving everyone. Can you do same to your enemies?
PRAYER POINT
Lord God of peace and love, I need your grace to live the same way. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Proverbs 5:1-14; Zechariah 8:9-23; 1 Peter 2:13-22
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ESOCS Devotional 4 December
