Rejoice in Sufferings (1 Peter 4:13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02-10-04

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Rejoice in sufferings

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 4:13

 

            Message of the verse:  “13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”  (NASB95)  “13 Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world.”  (NLT)

            The truth of this verse is hard for believers to understand, but it is impossible for those who are not believers to understand.  Why should believers rejoice in their sufferings?  Peter gives a number of reasons, and also we can see Jesus Christ as our example who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.

            First our suffering means fellowship with Christ.  “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,”  “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;”  (Phil. 1:29, & 3:10)  (Acts 5:41)  “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.”  Dr. Wiersbe says that “not every believer grows to the point where God can trust him with this kind of experience, so we ought to rejoice when the privilege comes to us.”

            Believers can take courage in the fact that God is with us as we go through these trials.  Isaiah 41:10, & 42:2 give us comfort:  “10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”  “2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.”

            The second thing we can see is that our suffering means glory in the future.  Peter has written about sufferings and glory throughout this letter.  The world believes that the absence of suffering means glory, but a Christian’s outlook is different.  As believers go through trials today we can be assured they will be turned into glory when Christ returns.  1Peter 1:7-8 “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,”

            God does not replace suffering with glory, but He will transform suffering into glory, and Jesus gave the illustration of a woman giving birth in John 16:20-22 to show this truth.  “20  "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.  21  "Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.  22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Bible says that we as believers are to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, and as I have studied this passage I am beginning to see that one of the ways that God will do this is through the fellowship of sufferings with Christ.  The sufferings of Jesus Christ were turned into joy, and this is something that is difficult to understand, but the Bible says is true.  There is a fellowship that is in suffering.  I am not saying that I have gone through great sufferings for the cause of Christ, however He has seen fit to send a couple of trials my way, and thought them I am beginning to understand more about the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings as written about in Philippians 3:10.