Happy?
1 Peter 4:16 - However if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
You are helping your neighbor by doing routine jobs like mowing the grass and watering the flowers while they are on vacation. The jobs are not always fun to do. When your neighbor comes home, he comes to your house and gives you $100 for helping him out. Though the work wasn't fun at the time, you'd probably be very happy with this gift from your neighbor.
This is how the apostle Peter says we should feel when he talks about suffering as a Christian. Peter had personal experience suffering as a Christian. He was taken before the Sanhedrin, thrown into prison, and even flogged. Those things probably won’t happen to you. You might be made fun of, put down, or laughed at. You should “praise God that you bear that name” (1 Peter 4:16), the name of “Christian”. To be a Christian means to believe and follow Christ. Peter says this so that you may be overjoyed when Christ’s glory is revealed. When you suffer, you should not stop telling others about Jesus, because he wants all to be saved and be in heaven with him. Many people don’t know about what Jesus did for them, dying on the cross to save them from their sins. You are God’s messengers, spreading the good news of God’s salvation which is for everyone. That salvation, no matter what bad happens in this life, means eternal life in heaven. That should make you very happy indeed!
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: What makes you happy? What does it mean to be a Christian? What can you do to make sure that God’s word is spread?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Thank God for missionaries in other countries. Pray for the strength to tell others the good news. Pray for others who suffer as Christians.