“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings…Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:10,12
Are you presently going through any pain, suffering, or persecution because of your faith in Jesus? If so, I want to encourage you to not lose hope, give up, or give in. You’re not alone in it. God is with you to see you through. There are people who have gone through, and are still going through, the same thing.
In the text above, the apostle Paul shared about the things he went through in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, and about the persecutions he had to endure. He didn’t run away from them, but persevered through them patiently. Many of his hardships were unavoidable because of his mission to spread the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus. In another letter, he stated, “God will not allow us to go through what we cannot bear, but He also provides a way so that we can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The testimony in his story was that the Lord rescued him from the persecutions and was with him as he endured. God knows the best way to deliver and rescue you from any suffering or pain you might be going through. Just trust Him through it all. We can expect persecution, not necessarily because we have done something bad or wrong, but simply because we have chosen to live a godly life in Jesus. Let us rejoice though, because God is with us in it and He will see us through.
Father, give me the grace to go through whatever pain or suffering that comes my way because of my faith in Jesus. Amen.
