Above Only Daily Devotional cgmglobal.org/aboveonly (Lire en français: cgmglobal.org/aboveonly/fr) Thuesday, November 20 THE BLESSING OF PERSECUTION (2) Acts 5:41-42, Romans 5:3-4 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. *And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope -------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you know that the early saints measured their spirituality by how much persecution they faced for Christs sake and not by how much of their needs were met? That is why like you see in our text above, the saints rejoiced that they were privileged to be persecuted for the name of Christ. Usually, when Apostle Paul addressed the people, he spoke about his sufferings for Christ, 2Corinthians 11:23-28. We are not supposed to become proud because of persecutions but we should know that we are privileged to experience persecutions. In Hebrews 11:35, we see that some heroes of faith rejected deliverance (help out of persecution) as an act of faith. As a result of his faith, Moses refused to be called the grandson of Pharaoh even though it would have been more pleasurable for his flesh. Hebrews 11:26, shows us that, Moses esteemed the reproach of Christs greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. It is the same heroes of faith that are our cloud of witnesses, Heb.12:1. They are our heavenly supporters club: cheering us on as we fight the good fight of faith. Never feel as if what is happening to you is strange, 1Pet.4:12. There are other people in this world going through what you are going through, 1Pet.5:9. Your Heavenly Father who is strengthening them will also strengthen you. The heroes of faith were ordinary people who through their faith in our extra ordinary God did extra ordinary things. When you understand the blessing of persecution like Apostle Paul and the early saints, you too will glory (rejoice) in tribulations. CONFESSION: Declare in faith that no persecution can distract you from going about your Fathers business. BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN: Acts 18 - 20 Commissioned & Empowered...
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 04:51:08 +0000
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