Suffering for our Faith
READ: 1 Peter 4:12-17; 5:6-11
A man named Paul walked into a fast food restaurant during his lunch break. After he got his order, he proceeded to find a place to sit. All the booths were occupied, so he sat down at the long counter where there were a few vacant stools. Since the restaurant was so packed, even the counter was nearly full of customers. He sat down next to another man who appeared to be dining alone. Before Paul began to eat his meal, ho bowed his head and prayed to God thanking Him for the food he had received. The man next to him snickered, made a look of disgust in Paul’s direction and then shook hi head. Then, through the rest of the meal, he continued to show his disbelief by cursing God and joking about those “goody-goody Christians” under his breath. Paul tried the best he could to ignore the man, but couldn’t help his sudden feelings of isolation and discouragement.
Why must we suffer for our faith? That is a question that many of us have asked ourselves at some time in our lives. God tells us in the Bible that when we are ridiculed for our faith, we are actually being blessed. That is very true. When you think about it, aren’t those times the perfect opportunities to spread God’s love to an unbeliever?
We should feel privileged when we are persecuted for our faith because it tells us that someone must have noticed that we believe in God by our words and actions.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: How is persecution a blessing from God? Why would God bless us by having others ridicule us? Try to come up with a comment or two that Paul might have used to open a discussion.
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Thank God for all the times you have been persecuted because of your faith. Ask God for the strength to confront those who persecute you with God’s Word.