#DailyDevotion Don’t Be Surprised About The World Hating You.

1 Peter 4:12–14 ¹²Dear friends, don’t be surprised that you’re being tested by a fiery trial as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But as you share Christ’s sufferings, be happy so that you will also be full of joy when His glory will be revealed. ¹⁴If you’re insulted now for the name of Christ, you’re happy because the Spirit of glory and power, the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

So, why are we surprised at what we are beginning to experience? We’ve had 2000 years of warning. We were once in the majority and as such we held the immorality of others in check or at least in the closet. But the enemy has been busy and working hard to diminish our numbers though media, the schools and yes, even the churches. We’ve became nice and tolerant when we should have been reproving sinful behavior, proclaiming the gospel and being merciful to the broken. Now those we used to reprove have gotten the upper hand and they are doing their best to put us in the closet. We should not be surprised at the fiery trial we are beginning to experience. We are experiencing what we should be experiencing as disciples of Jesus Christ.

You see, when God became man, when he took on our flesh and was name Jesus, this Jesus began to take upon himself our sufferings, our guilt, our shame, our penalty for sin. That which was and is rightly ours by our sinful nature, he by grace experienced himself to sanctify our suffering and make them holy. So Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1, “⁵As Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so Christ makes our comfort overflow. ⁶If we suffer, it helps us to comfort and save you. If we are comforted, it helps us to comfort you effectively when you endure the same sufferings as we do. ⁷Our hope for you is unshaken because we know as you share our sufferings you share our comfort.” You see, Christ returns the suffering he experienced back to us, not for punishment but for a holy purpose, that we might comfort others with the comfort we ourselves receive.

Jesus was hated by the world. The world loves darkness and not the light. When you were baptized into Jesus and given faith in him, you became the light of the world. (Matt 5:14) We look to how the world treated Jesus. If you are his disciples you will suffer the same sort of fate. Jesus told us in John 15, “¹⁸If the world hates you, you know it hated Me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. But you don’t belong to the world; I took you away from the world; that’s why the world hates you. ²°Remember what I told you: ‘A slave is no greater than his Master.’ If they persecuted Me, they’ll persecute you.”

Now here’s the twist, quit moping around and being afraid because you’ve discovered the world hates you. Peter tells us if we are suffering with Christ then be happy because “you will be filled with joy when his glory will be revealed.” For when his glory is revealed you will appear with him in glory and share in that glory. Peter reminds us, “If you’re insulted now for the name of Christ, you’re happy because the Spirit of glory and power, the Spirit of God, is resting on you.” Indeed that Spirit is resting on you, giving you the power to look to Christ return and rejoice in it now, knowing you are not going through this alone but Christ himself is going through it with you, helping you to be faithful so you may endure unto the end.

Heavenly Father, ever pour out upon us your Spirit of glory and power so we may rejoice in suffering for Christ’s name, endure unto the end and participate in his glory when he reveals himself again. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.