Seeds for 06/20/2024 - 1 Peter 4:14
Scripture:
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Observation:
There are many lines in Peter (and in James too) that seem lifted straight from Jesus’ teaching and therefore give a ring of authenticity to both the letter and the Gospels. This is a good example. Matthew records these words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, a passage taken by many scholars to be not only a one-time sermon, but also to represent the core of Jesus’ teaching on discipleship. So, this is teaching that Peter would have heard more than once.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Peter carries over this exact notion.
We do well to remember an important caution here. Peter writes, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ.” (italics mine) This “because” is critical. We must be sure that we are not being insulted because we are rude, obnoxious, unkind, or simply emotionally immature and not handling something well. If we are insulted for some reason other than the name of Christ, well, let’s humbly admit our error, ask forgiveness, and move forward with grace. This is far better for our witness and for our soul—that is, our spiritual maturity, than to become defensive and assume we are being insulted because of the name of Christ. In other words, Peter’s command provides an opportunity for reflection, soul searching, self awareness, and spiritual/emotional maturity.
All of that said, if we are in fact insulted because of the name of Christ, then we are certainly blessed. We have remained faithful to Him in both belief and behavior despite the pressures of society or culture. Better to have Christ than all the regard of those who ignore or disdain Him.
Application:
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, grow me in Christlike character so that if I am insulted as a Christian, it is because of my faithfulness to Jesus and for no other reason. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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