“For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” – 1 Peter 3:17
Suffering may well be part of your life, now or in the future. Though we wish it weren’t, Scripture is clear that nobody is immune from going through hard times in this fallen world. Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, suffered horribly. Why imagine God will give you an exemption from suffering???
The question becomes, are you suffering for the right reason??? Are you being persecuted unjustly or are you just reaping what you’ve sown? If people don’t like you and mistreat you because you’re rude, cruel, selfish, abrasive, greedy, mean, easily offended, or persistently irritable and unkind, that’s on you. There are Christians today who are very confused on this point! They’re obnoxious, people don’t like them, and they feel more self-righteous because they’re suffering as Christians. Not so! They aren’t suffering for Jesus, they’re suffering because they’re jerks who aren’t like Jesus!
Don’t let that ever become true of you. If your life is plagued by the logical consequences and punishments that follow from illegal, immoral, unethical, and un-Christlike behavior, that isn’t holy suffering. That isn’t martyrdom or religious persecution. That’s just you experiencing unnecessary, self-inflicted suffering.
It’s far better to live a life that strives to imitate Jesus. Every day, every week, every month. Then when you experience opposition, persecution, or suffering, you know that you suffer in the righteous company of Christ. Your suffering in that circumstance bears witness to Christ Who suffered on the cross for you and suffers with you. Your Christlike suffering brings glory to God and will bring you praise in Heaven. Acting too much like Jesus is the right reason to suffer, if you must suffer. #FollowJesus