Suffer for Righteousness
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
This reminds me of the scripture that says, If God before us who can be against us. ..... Even is you should suffer for righteousness' sake.... to me this means that it is a likelihood that you will encounter suffering for His sake, for righteousness. Have no fear of them or be troubled, He says this because we are human, we allow our fear and troubles to often control us, we allow our feelings to distract us and throw us off course.
But in your heart, regard Christ as holy, always being prepared to make defense...... this make me think of a romantic relationship. When a man and a woman are dating, I think it is romantic that a man stands up for his woman. Well, if the Church is the Bride of Christ, and we are the church, then should we not always be ready to stand up and defend our lover, Christ?
Jesus is the lover of our soul! We are his beloved! This should not be a casual relationship, but rather one of intimacy. Intimacy in Christ is a beautiful thing! I encourage you to dig deeper, really challenge yourself to spend some time with Christ, study his word, meditate on it, and put it into practice in your life.
Created over 2 years ago
