Hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps– 1 Peter 2:21

Christians love to talk about following Christ. But Peter makes it clear that we cannot expect to follow a suffering, rejected Savior without experiencing suffering and rejection ourselves. Amy Carmichael rhetorically presents this searching question:

Can we follow the Savior far,
Who have no wound or scar?

There is nothing meritorious or noble in suffering as an end in itself. As Peter pointed out in the verse immediately before, there is no inherent glory in suffering if we are only being punished for our own wrong-doing. However, he says, if you endure the buffeting of a Christ-hating world because you are following Jesus Christ, then this is pleasing and acceptable to God.

Interestingly, the possibility of not suffering and still following our Savior is not even presented as an option. Why? Because hereunto were you called — when you received the call of God on your life, it was not only the call to salvation but the call to suffering for the sake of your Savior.

Jesus assures us, “Blessed are ye, when [not “if”] men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake (Matthew 5:11). Paul reminds us that “unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29).

The footprints of Jesus do not travel through luxurious lifestyles and self-asserting ambitions. They lead through uncompromising stands for the glory of God and self-sacrificial suffering for the sake of others. Are you following His steps? Are you obedient to your calling?–Baptist Bible Hour

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”Hebrews 5:8

We are told that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, therefore we who are sinful, and who are far from being perfect, must not wonder if we are called to pass through suffering too. Shall the head be crowned with thorns, and shall the other members of the body be rocked upon the dainty lap of ease? Must Christ pass through seas of his own blood to win the crown, and are we to walk to heaven dryshod in silver slippers? No, our Master’s experience teaches us that suffering is necessary, and the true-born child of God must not, would not, escape it if he might. But there is one very comforting thought in the fact of Christ’s “being made perfect through suffering”—it is, that he can have complete sympathy with us. “He is not an high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” In this sympathy of Christ we find a sustaining power. One of the early martyrs said, “I can bear it all, for Jesus suffered, and he suffers in me now; he sympathizes with me, and this makes me strong.” Believer, lay hold of this thought in all times of agony. Let the thought of Jesus strengthen you as you follow in his steps. Find a sweet support in his sympathy; and remember that, to suffer is an honourable thing—to suffer for Christ is glory. The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to do this. Just so far as the Lord shall give us grace to suffer for Christ, to suffer with Christ, just so far does he honour us. The jewels of a Christian are his afflictions. The regalia of the kings whom God hath anointed are their troubles, their sorrows, and their griefs. Let us not, therefore, shun being honoured. Let us not turn aside from being exalted. Griefs exalt us, and troubles lift us up. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” (Morning & Evening)

Not until we discover God’s plan for our life are we able to make sense of our trials. Perhaps the biggest problem is that we all tend to believe that we deserve better. Something tells us that life is unfair and that we should be exempt from hardships. That would be nice, but it isn’t true.

To get to the truth about ourselves we have to look to God’s Word. We can parade ourselves before the world and win the approval and applause of everyone, and still not measure up to the standard of perfection. Or we could use the power of reason, compare ourselves to others and conclude that we are more deserving, yet not qualify for an exemption status. The cold hard fact is that, based on God’s righteous standard, we all come up short—way short!

Our unworthiness is not only depicted by the manner in which God’s Word describes the sinner, but also by the declaration that salvation comes “by grace”, “not by works”. Were we worthy grace would have nothing to do with it.

Once we get it nailed down in our mind that we are sinful and unworthy we are able to see that we don’t deserve anything and should be thankful for everything. Regardless of what happens to us, regardless of how bad and painful it might be, it is always less that what we actually deserve. That’s why we should be thankful for every blessing and uncomplaining about every burden.

Not until we get to place that can we see ourselves as chief of sinners, the least of all saints and “take wrong” and allow ourselves “to be defrauded” ( 1 Cor. 6:7) can we endure hardships without complaining and enjoy ourselves without ceasing. And that is a major milestone in a person’s life. Do yourself a favor— discover what God says about mankind and accept the truth about yourself. You will never be the same! God’s plan is to make you holy, rather than happy. and hardships are a part of the process. The person who comes to realize this will be able to “count it all joy” when they “fall into divers temptations”(James 1:2), endure any trial, and glorify God in any situation.

There are those who boast that they read the Bible everyday and read through it at least once a year, some for many years, yet they are woefully ignorant of the great doctrines of the Bible. They have no idea what atonement, justification, sanctification, etc. means, and they don’t seem to care if they ever do. That’s sad.

Although they are familiar with the popular stories of the Bible they have no idea as to their spiritual significance. When it comes to shadows and types they are clueless, and not much better when it comes to parables and prophecies. They enjoy the inspirational aspects of the Bible, but have little interest in instructions. To them the Bible is more like a good-luck charm or a rabbit’s foot. They are quick to affirm their belief that it is God’s Word, but their understanding of it is very limited. If you point out something from the Bible that is contrary to what they believe they usually respond with “That’s just your interpretation”.

If you are one of those I’ve just described, I’m not trying to belittle or embarrass you. I’m thrilled that you are reading your Bible everyday, everyone should, but I want you to see that there is so much more to it than that. The doctrines I’ve mentioned are glorious and should be of interest to all, not just pastors and theologians. These are precious truths that pertain to your relationship with God that will bless your heart beyond measure as you grasp more and more of their meaning. They speak of the person and work of Christ, and are never boring.

Try doing a word study sometime and read all the verses related to it. You will be blessed. Study a particular section of the Bible as though you had to teach it next Sunday and you will be amazed by what you will learn and how you will be helped. Do yourself a favor and start some sort of systematic study of God’s Word. It will not only change your life, it will thrill your soul beyond what you ever imagined.

Seeing that the Bible is God’s revelation to man how can we not be interested? Considering that it has transforming power how can we ignore it? Knowing it deals with the most important issues in life and answers the most perplexing questions in the world, how can we not care? Think about it!

Bitterness is one of the most difficult and deadly enemies we have to contend with. Although most won’t admit it, many are bound by bitterness. They are enslaved by it and every area of their life is adversely affected. So, perhaps the most difficult part of this battle is admitting that we are bitter. Until that happens we will never overcome it.

One of the things that makes this so difficult is the wretched condition of the world in which we live. Everywhere you look you see things that disappoint, hurt, discourage, and trigger resentment. To make matters worse, even if you limit your view to the “Christian” segment of society you can’t escape the temptation to get bitter. Truth is— that just might be the most troublesome area of all. We don’t expect much from the world, and for good reason, but we have lofty expectations for those professing to be God’s children. And what we see is heart-breaking. But we make matters worse if we get bitter.

I understand why so many unbelievers want nothing to do with Christianity. The rotten condition of churches today have made the glorious gospel repulsive to the world in general. We Christians ought to do better than that! Our own imperfections should remind us that life is hard and we all fail. Considering how gracious and tender God has been with us, we ought to be more patient with others. Isn’t it strange how we try to justify our own sins by pointing the faults of others? At this very moment some are bitter toward others because of their “wrong-doings” toward them, and they are so focused on their faults, real or perceived, that they can’t see their own. Make no mistake about it– if you have bitterness in your heart, you have sin in your life, and that is as problem. It is a problem for you and others. Consider what is said in Heb. 12:15, “ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled“.

I’ve watched some people pout for months, even years, over some professed injustice in their life. They are miserable and they make others miserable. They have taken themselves out of the picture so far as being useful in God’s work. They are sitting on the sidelines complaining when they should be joyfully involved. Not only are they miserable, since the “joy of the Lord is your strength”, they are weak and susceptible to temptation. You could say, they’ve fallen and are fixing to fall further.

If I stopped here it would be bad enough, but there is more. Your bitterness ends up defiling “many” others. So now the “victim” becomes the villain. Now how do you justify your bitterness and judge your “enemy”? Even if he is in the wrong, do you not put yourself in the same category by harboring malice in your heart?