Verse: 1 Peter 3:17-18
“For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit.”
Devotion
We filed our taxes last year and a few weeks later discovered some missing income we had failed to report. It wasn’t a lot of money but we knew the right thing to do was to file an amendment. We are still waiting for our tax return. After hours on the phone we found out that the IRS department in Kansas City that processes amendments had closed down for a time because the employees were on strike. We had done the right thing and now felt punished. I’m sure we have all been in this position before.
Suffering is uncomfortable and we don’t like to talk or even think about it. But what should be the Christian response to suffering for doing right? Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble, but do not fear because He has overcome the world. Jesus himself suffered as a pure and blameless man and the end result was that He brought us to the Father. He died in the flesh but was raised in the Spirit.
Ours is a heavenly kingdom and a heavenly reward. Even if we never see our tax return we know that God will take care of us and that we have treasures in heaven for being honest and having integrity. Now if we had tried to hide that extra money and had been audited, that would have been a justified suffering, a natural consequence for breaking the law.
Does this mean that we hang our heads and accept all suffering. No! We live in a fallen world and we have an enemy. The effects of sin are all around us. We need to be aware of the natural consequences and unnatural ones. So, how can we tell the difference? I think the end of this passage gives us a hint. Don’t live in the flesh, but be made alive in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within us. He is called the counselor and comforter. There have been times when I’ve prayed and He has clearly told me that my suffering was an attack. There have been other times when He has told me that He is working something out of me with pressure and heat to purify and cleanse. With His guidance I can proceed in prayer and sometimes action. Ultimately, I know that He will never leave me or forsake me. He walks beside us in all suffering. He is not a stranger to the worst suffering imaginable. What a beautiful Savior!
Prayer
Jesus, I pray that we would be people who suffer well, with your grace and holding fast to your hope. I pray for those that may have considerable suffering right now, come and comfort them and fill them with your peace. Hold them close and bring other Christians around them to encourage and pray for them. Protect us from evil and may we stand firm in suffering, anchored by hope.
Author: Michela Brownell
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