It Is Worth It

Verse of the day: 2 Timothy 1:8-9 Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God; 9 who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,

In the Gospel of John, chapter 15, verse 20, Jesus told his disciples that they would suffer persecution because He was persecuted, and they were not greater than their Master. This still stands true today. During the time that the Apostle Paul wrote this to Timothy, Christians were being imprisoned for their belief in Jesus and the Gospel. At some point in his ministry, even Timothy was imprisoned (Heb 13:23). For many of us, we have not even come close to this type of persecution; yet, too many of us still shy away from the possibility of being rejected or persecuted for the cause of Christ. We avoid talking to family or friends for fear of what they might say or do. However, may I remind us that we have not been given a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7). Rather than shy away from persecution, we should welcome it, knowing that if we suffer for Christ's sake, we will be rewarded by Him (Matt 5:11). The Apostle Paul was reminding Timothy that the Gospel was worth suffering for. He also reminded him that he could endure suffering because of the power of God, which was also the power that saved us, who have already called upon Jesus as Lord and Savior (Rm 1:16). Aside from that, the suffering endured is nothing compared to the free gift of His salvation. How did we receive this free gift? Was it something special that we did? No. It was because of the love, and grace, of God. But let us not just rest there. Let us ponder why it was that we were given eternal life. We have been called. We have been called to holiness (1 Pt 1:13-15). We are called to serve Him. We do not call ourselves. For any man/woman who calls themselves will not last in His service, as the hardship this service involves can only be endured in the power of God, in Christ. Our works have no merit in gaining the salvation that has been freely given. May this serve as a reminder that we were not saved simply to be idle in our Christian life. We are to be living sacrifices to God (Rm 12:1). We are to live in accordance to His truth, and for His purposes. Too many Christians are trying to live Christianity on their own terms, living with Jesus as Savior, but refusing to let Him be Lord (mostly because they want to keep one foot in the world). Lastly, may we be reminded that long before any of us were born into this world, and long before we called upon Jesus, God had a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 1:5; Gal 1:15; Acts 9:15). The bottom line is that we cannot fulfill God's plan for our life without Jesus, and with that plan there will be a certain amount of suffering associated with it because we live in a world that opposes anything that is godly and involves the truths found in God's Word. The suffering we endure here is nothing in comparison to what God has in store for us when we go to be with Him (1 Pt 1:6-9). My brothers and sisters, whatever we are called to endure, we must endure as soldiers of Christ (2 Tim 2:3), knowing that in Him we will receive our reward (which is far better than anything this world can ever offer us). Be steadfast until the end, for the greatest victory has already been had in Christ, victory over death and the grave (1 Cor 15:55-58).