Lord, we need Your clear sky. We need to see something that is deep within You. We desire to touch Yourself as the life-giving Spirit, as the transforming Spirit in us.
Not a burden we bear, Not a shadow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not grief or a loss, Not a frown or a cross, But is blest if we trust and obey.
Trust and obey, For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.
For this is grace, if anyone, because of a consciousness of God, bears sorrows by suffering unjustly.
1 Pet. 2:21
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you a model so that you may follow in His steps;
1 Pet. 4:14
If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Life Supply:
Christ lived a life of suffering, a suffering life. Now we are His partners living the same kind of life. According to the book of Hebrews, we are not only partakers of Christ but are also His partners (Heb. 3:14). We cooperate with Him in living a life of suffering. We follow Him along the way of suffering. This means that what Christ suffered, we also suffer. Therefore, when we suffer for Christ in this way, our sufferings are counted by God as the sufferings of Christ.
We should not be discouraged because we must suffer as Christians. These sufferings are positive and very precious. What a privilege it is to experience the sufferings of Christ! Paul could even say that he made up what was lacking of the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, the church (Col. 1:24). He also speaks in Philippians 3:10 concerning the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Today we should be Christians, followers of Christ, who undergo the sufferings of Christ. We need to participate not only in the riches of Christ, but also in the sufferings of Christ. If we take this point of view, we shall be encouraged whenever we suffer for Christ. We may even welcome this kind of suffering. Yes, we may face fiery ordeals, but these are the sufferings of Christ in which we have the privilege to participate.
The reason the persecutions we suffer are the sufferings of Christ is that we suffer in the name of Christ. According to Peter’s word in verse 14, we are blessed if we are reproached in the name of Christ. Do not think that it is a curse to be reproached in the name of Christ. This is to be blessed. However, it may be a curse if people appreciate us too highly. Regarding this matter, we need to have a change of concept.
The more we suffer and are persecuted, the more glory there will be upon us. This is truly a blessing. I can testify that the more I am persecuted and evil spoken of, the more I am empowered. Persecution and reproach does not hold me down. On the contrary, it lifts me up. Therefore, we should rejoice when we are reproached in the name of Christ, because the Spirit of glory is resting upon us. (Life-Study of 1 Peter, Msg. 28)
