In Christ, Haters Are Essential

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 who 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 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 then 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 want 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…” Know that your suffering within the name of the Lord is not in vain, you can be happy 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… 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!