You won’t find this on a Christian t-shirt:
“All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
This is one of those promises of scripture that I’d rather just read quickly past without much though or meditation.
"Certainly not ALL who desire will be persecuted,” I think to myself. “Really?, all!?”
When Paul penned this verse to Timothy (2 tim 3:12) he was letting him in on a fact that now Paul was experiencing first hand. Paul was most likely writing this from his prison cell and keenly aware of the persecution he faced merely because he desired to do God’s will.
But Persecution doesn’t always come in the form of prison cells. It can also come from disagreements between Christians, oppositions from outsiders, and affliction from our spiritual enemy.
If we desire to do the will of God, by living a godly life, it should be a well not fact that this will not come with complete ease. We will face trials of many kinds. But we must ‘Take joy” when facing these trials.
I told my brother last week that I feel like everything in my life right now is “playing toward my weaknesses.” I’m being challenged to take action in areas of my life that are less developed and are hard for me to operate in. Nonetheless, I long to live a godly life, and as I walk in the will of God I have to remember that opposition is waiting for me around every corner. Things may be hard, but my Mighty Sustainer will guide, protect and provide as needed.
I know that I am not the only one that is going through hard things right now. I know that many of you are facing trials as well. As we seek the will of God, we are bound to be persecuted by our enemy. But stay focus. Stay broken. Stay strong.