Day 40

Read John 15:18 & 1 Peter 4:12-14

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 

As a Jesus follower, we are different from the world we live in. That means the world will not like us because we are different. We see this in the life of Jesus. He was hated and killed by his own people. However, this is not a bad thing. Peter says we should rejoice when we are persecuted because we are actually sharing in Christ’s sufferings and that his glory is being revealed! It is a good thing to be insulted for the name of Jesus. Why’s that? It means that you are displaying Jesus to the world around you. If you are treated badly because of your faith, it is because the world around you can tell that you are a Jesus follower. Persecution has happened since Jesus was on earth and will happen until he returns. If you are being persecuted, stand firm and keep up the good work! God will protect you and give you strength. Jesus has already won the war! Let the words of a widow, who was killed along with her seven sons because of their faith, speak to you. 

“While I live, I shall defeat you; and if you kill me, in my death I shall defeat you all the more.” - Felicitas ~162 A.D. 

Day 39

Romans 12:17

“NEVER PAY BACK EVIL FOR EVIL TO ANYONE. RESPECT WHAT IS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN.” 

We all know the feeling of revenge.  It’s that immediate desire to get back at those who have hurt us.  In today’s society, revenge is seen as justified retaliation, and often, it’s expected.  But this is simply a cultural ideal, not a biblical one.  As Jesus followers, we are commanded to “never pay back evil for evil to anyone.”  You might be thinking, “That’s not possible. You don’t know what they did to me. I have to get back at them!”  While it may feel that way, our only hope is to respond in gentleness, kindness, and self-control as Christ lives His life in and through us.  That is the response people are waiting to see and what is going to give testimony to the Gospel’s realness in our lives.  So when we live according to scripture, we are giving testimony to the power of Christ in us!

Are you living each day in a way that is giving testimony to the Gospel?