GODLY LIVING ATTRACTS PERSECUSION
Our world is boiling in troubled waters. Her people are suffering the pains and afflictions of natural atrocities and the consequences of wrong choices. We cry out loud but no one appears to comfort us. We become weary, tired, discouraged and depressed but not defeated. In the midst of these we plan to do one thing but another overtakes us. It turn out that we are accused of broken promises and hated for standing up for the truth. We feel terrible but something drives us on. Have you given all you have for the people you dearly love yet they lie, gossip, condemn and stab your back? Have you been criticized, demeaned and stressed out for making right decisions? You’re not the first and shall not be the last; indeed, you’re not alone. Whether you are a leader in a family, Church, community or in corporation, you face the similar crises, better call challenges. The people you loved, cared for, ministered to and served shall turn around to accuse you of some deficiency in your personality, partiality in judgment and inappropriateness and insensitive in your actions. It appears that’s the way human beings are.
An open secret is that every one that stands taller than his/her equals drink that same cruel wine. The scripture described Moses as the most humbled and compassionate leader in the whole universe yet the children of Israel complained, grumbled and accused him of being insensitive to their plights. Jesus Christ, who was God in human flesh was accused, betrayed and crucified for the truth. The least of all the apostles in the scriptures, Paul [Saul of Tarsus] described this experience as “a thorn in the flesh.” This feared persecutor of ‘those of the way’ made Ananias cry to God, ‘I don’t like this errand, send another person’ but to no avail. He then went trembling before the most terrifying ex-murderer that God had tamed and made His instrument, an Apostle to the gentiles. Yet that former persecutor of Christians could look back at what God had accomplished through him and in confidence said, “I have fought a good fight…..I have kept the faith….the righteous Judge [not man] shall reward me on that day and all who loved His appearing…..” With total sincerity and commitment Paul advised,…..‘Be imitator of me even as I am of Christ Jesus……’ Can you believe that?
Little wonder Paul said accepting Christian faith and calling is synonymous with suffering for Christ sake. The two are in-separatable. Despite what Paul went through he was accredited to have written most of the New Testament Epistles and most of the recording of Luke in the Acts deals with his three missionary journeys, his ordeals, imprisonment and appearances before the power that is. Paul suffered one type of persecution or the other in every city on his journeys and yet he described them as little affliction. Paul prepared his life to die for his faith in Christ Jesus. He warned Timothy and indeed all Christians today, ‘all who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted’ [2 Timothy 3:12]. Persecution does not only prove our faith but prune and make us more like Jesus.
Paul assessed his sufferings and persecutions said, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down but we are not destroyed. Through suffering our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be seen in our bodies [2 Corinthians 4:8-10]. We get bitten down not always that something went wrong with our faith, but so that Christ might be raised in us. We get surprised that despite what we go through we are not knocked out, we still believe and trust in God and the power of His might. Our struggles points to God as the source of our strength and He that fight our battles.
Most dramatic and surprising, despite his ordeals, losses, and hit one every side, Paul never regarded himself a failure and allowed doubts and fears to overtake him. He kept on pushing forward until the end. Little wonder he said one thing he knew how to do was to forget about the mistakes of yesterday and move forward with today, pursuing tomorrow. Mistakes do not make us less human, but show we are progressing. There are chances that as we pursue our life’s dreams, we run into one or a couple of misdeeds. It does not matter your Spiritual plane or level. In our journeys of life, we encounter series of obstacles, make wrong choices and being accused but resolved not to give in to discouragement, criticisms and fears of making mistakes. Be patience, determined and focus on God. It’s great to take care but nothing significant has been achieved by pessimistic people.
Elbert Hubbarb said, ‘the greatest mistake you can make is to continually fear that you will make one.’ Mistakes are promotional tools. They show we are prepared to learn. God turns our mistakes with his goodness. Let’s give our hearts to God and he will give us strength and confidence to settle in and preserve in good deeds. Since we have good standing before God, we have entrance by faith into his grace. We should be joyful in our sufferings [pressure, affliction and hardship]; sufferings produce patience and unswerving endurance. Endurance develops maturity of character [integrity] and character produces hope of eternal salvation that never disappoints, shame or deludes us. [Rom 5:1ff]. For the Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts and this gives us peace in afflictions; making differences between happiness and joy. No matter how long you continue to look behind it shall neither compensate for the losses of yesterday nor add to the gains of tomorrow.
As a Christian who desires to preserve in godly living, what percussions have you bore? What sacrifices have you made? What hardships have you endured? What rejections have you experienced? What pains have you suffered? What cross are you carrying? What rights have and privileges have you denied? These are opportunities for you to conform to the image of Jesus Christ. No matter what your cross is, it ends up in revealing God’s glory in you. Don’t forget that Jesus death on the cross revealed much of God’s unconditional love in such away that from age to age his followers willingly lay down their lives for him. The troubles we go through serve as springboard to getting closer to God. That’s His plan
Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill can be reached by email;gkapin53@yahoo.com