2 Thessalonians 1.5 All
this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be
counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. – St.
Paul
“You can’t handle
the truth!” – Colonel Nathan R Jessup (Commanding Officer, United States
Marine Ground Forces, Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, Cuba) – A Few Good Men. Sometimes, the truth
hurts.
Paul had written to the church in Thessalonika to
encourage them and to reimid them of their calling in Christ. He said, of their
trials and difficulties in living out their faith: All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you
will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth... apart from Christ.
It’s true, the Thessalonians were suffering for their
faith. In the ancient world, the gospel was not welcome, and the local churches
established by Paul and others ran into immense push back from the local pagans
and from the culture as a whole. The truth hurts; and truth is rejected by men because
man cannot control the truth, let alone handle it. And God’s people suffer for
their faith in the truth.
Why is suffering so necessary? Does God need to make sure
we’re the real deal? Is our faith only valid in the face of persecution and
suffering?
Suffering is important in at least on aspect: it’s a
reality. As one accepts Jesus, he also rejects the world. The world does
not take lightly to rejection. Consider a quote attributed to Orwell: The further a society drifts from truth the
more it will hate those who speak it. Nothing, in this world, could be
truer than the hatred of mankind toward the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And as the Gospel is hated, so are the preachers of the
Gospel. And so, persecution for those to whom the truth belongs and to which
belong the truth. God does not hate man – quite the contrary, God loves man.
But man does not love God. Nor will man love any who would dare to suggest that
his need for God is absolute.
Man won’t handle the truth, and God’s people will suffer. “The
truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” – James A.
Garfield. As believers, our job is to push through the push back. The push back
is: evidence that God’s judgment is
right, and [because it is, the children of God] … will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which [they] are suffering. One will suffer as a
Christian not because God hates, but because God loves those who believe Him,
and believe in Him, despite their circumstances, however unpleasant they may be.
“In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – Jesus
Lord Jesus, I will be thankful in all my circumstances,
and even in those against Your truth, and my faith. Jesus, may I trust that All this is evidence that Your judgment, is
right, and as a result, I will be counted worthy of Your everlasting kingdom,
for which I, along with my fellow saints, suffer - amen
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