If ye be
reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of
God resteth upon you.
1 Peter
4:14
There is a
joy that engulfs the hearts of believers as they are reproached for the name of
Christ… To be reproached means to be criticized, scolded or reprimanded; and
when this occurs one can actually fine peace and calmness in their lives… This is not to suggest that the individual
or endures this in their life likes to deal with opposition and/or adversity,
but this means that the heart of a Christian can place the time of this ordeal in
the proper context knowing, trusting and believing that this challenge is a
sign of their very development in the will of God… To be reproached in
Christ you must demonstrate Christ in your life and therefore have someone or something
come against you for that very reason… There has to be a beacon light of Christ
which shines bright in and through you for someone to come against your faith;
this simply means that someone has to be able to draw a clear picture of your
stance as far as serving God and this really reflects your present condition
like a mirror for you to see how much you have grown or how far you have come…
This is why Peter refers to reproach and this says, happy are ye because the sign of struggle is really a sign of
maturation and ascension in the designed plan for your life as it relates to
the will of God… The bible informs us several different times that as a child
of God we will endure persecutions and tribulations… We are guaranteed to
encounter people in our lives that what to object to us simply because of the
profession of faith that we have in Christ Jesus… Peter reminds us today, that
since we have been informed of these things, we should be able to find
happiness in times of objection and ridicule… I was once told and believe it to
be true that you can tell if you walking the right path just by seeing how much
opposition you face… This (in a nutshell) is what Peter is speaking about in
this particular passage… “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy
are ye…” No that your suffering within the name of the Lord is not in vain,
you can be happen when you suffer reproach (criticism, scolding or rebuke)
because you know that your endurance displays your faith and stores up the
rewards of eternity which no man can take from you nor can any moth or thief
corrupt or steal… Satan isn’t worried about those who are in the world;
however, he reproaches those who are of the household of faith… So you can be
happy in times of despair because the enemy sees that you are going in the
right direction and this should be a testimony to you that you indeed are
taking the right steps… This is why Peter goes on to say, “…for the spirit
of glory and of God resteth upon you…” The spirit of glory is the spirit of
favor, the spirit of victory and the spirit of peace… To know that it rest upon
you should tell you that everything will be okay, everything will workout and
you will obtain all that God has in store for you… When someone comes against
you because of the faith you have in Christ; Peter points out today that you
should be happy for several reasons…
Again,
understand today that for someone to reproach you for the name of Christ means
that you are walking according to His will and your light is shining for all to
see… Secondly, we are promised in the scriptures that our work in the Lord will
not be in vain and that they that labor in the Lord shall be prosperous and
victorious in whatever trials or circumstances that are faced… When the spirit
of the Lord rest upon you, you will be secure in His tabernacle, Psalms 91
teaches us that we will be able to overcome storms, that we may see dangers all
around us but while in the bosom of the Lord we shall not be harmed… This is a
good news for us today, we know that in walking with the Lord it doesn’t matter
what people may say or do, it doesn’t matter what conflicts come our way, we
can be happy because we know that in serving God trials will come and every
obstacle will become a stepping stone… The book of James tells us that we are
to “consider it pure joy whenever we face trials and tribulations…”
Peter tells us today that we are to be happy when we are reproached for the
name of Christ… To be reproached means we are criticized, blamed accused; and
as we examine this passage we see that we are to be happy about being called a
child of Christ! Jesus said that anybody who loses his life for My sake shall
find it; today let us lose the things of this world so that we may find the
eternal happiness and blessings that God has promised us… Let us deny ourselves
and take up our cross today! Through
your trials and tribulations God is preparing a reward that will outweigh the
obstacles that you face! When you walk according to His will and don’t fall
into the snares of the enemy, God is molding you and taking you to another
level which the human eye cannot see…
Joseph (the son of
Jacob) was left for dead, sold into slavery by his brothers; eventually he
would be imprisoned, but in the end he sat on the throne and his brothers came
to him in their time of need… David encountered Goliath, Saul sought to kill
him and he spent time in the hands of the enemy before becoming the king and
being called “a man after God’s own heart! Job was stripped of all he had,
illness plagued his body and his friends turned on him; in the end he received
double what he had and was rewarded for his faith in the time of despair… Paul
was persecuted, stoned and locked up for his faith in Christ; before he passed
he told Timothy “I have ran the good race, I know that there is a crown laid up
for me…” Jesus took the form of man, was mocked and spit on, beaten and falsely
accused, hung on a cross and died; but He now sits at the right hand of the
father with all power in His hands, He is the way, truth and light, no man can
come to the father but by Him… Understand that trials are necessary, hardships
are apart of growth and God’s name will produced trials, but will also open
bountiful windows of blessings… Jesus said keep in mind that they hated Him
first, He also said, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the
sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 5:10
BE BLESSED!!!
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