Suffering (Part 2)
The Bible gives us many examples of people suffing for the sake of Jesus. Below are two great examles.
Acts 7 tells of the stoning of Stephen, one of the first leaders in the early church. Stephen had taken up his cross and was committed to God's will. Through proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, Stephen received death. Verses 54-59, "When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at teh right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.' At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he fell on his knees and cried out, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he fell asleep."
Another side note, imagine being Stephen and looking up into the sky and actually seeing the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. That must have been an awesome sight! Back to the point though, Stephen was a dedicated follower of Christ even to the point of death.
The man Saul (soon to be Paul) is introduced in this passage as well. Saul was soon converted to Christianity because of a personal encounter with Jesus, and proceeded to proclaim the Gospel of Christ with a dedicated passion. Paul is another great example of someone taking up his cross and being obedient and dedicated to Jesus. He does not receive a luxurious life on earth though. He tells of some of his hardships in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, "...I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."
Now that is a tough life! And it was all suffered for the sake of Jesus Christ. My point in all of this is that God wants us to live our life fully for him and to gladly accept any hardships that come along the way because of it. Compared to Stephen, compared to Paul, and especially compared to our Lord Jesus Christ, SO WHAT if we are verbally made fun of while walking around in public witnessing. SO WHAT if people "say things about us." SO WHAT if we are teased. SO WHAT if our daily life is inconvenienced a little for the sake of Jesus Christ. SO WHAT!
If we are fulfilling God's will, he will take care of us. God tells us that His grace is sufficient for us, and is it ever. God is full of grace, and He will never let anything happen to us that He does not ordain. He is the Sovereign God as the prophet Ezekiel states repeatedly.
With that said, again, we should completely live our life for Jesus Christ. And we should gladly accept any hardships that come because of it. 2 Corinthians 12:10, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Romans 5:3-5, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
To sum all of this up, James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." Let us go out into the world, take up our cross, live the life that God wants us to live, gladly accept any hardships that come because of it, and give all the glory to Jesus Christ.