Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with song and lyrics of the group Mercy Me singing their song … Even If … poignantly singing of the strength we get from God’s grace and our faith to face times of trial and even persecution.
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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Peter 3:14 [NKJV] … 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” [Isaiah 8:12]
… Even quoting the Bible to give us courage is easier said than done sometimes when we’re being persecuted for our faith.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Peter 3:13-18 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter tries to lift up Christians who were being persecuted severely.
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
… God’s promise of His strength to carry us thru hard times.
Reference Passage : …Acts 1:8 [NKJV] … 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
… Jesus promises His power to help us be His witnesses to the world, … yes, even a hostile world.
Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 12:9 [NKJV] … 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
… Jesus helps Paul (and us) realize that God’s grace is sufficient to help us deal with our weaknesses in life.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Keila Ochoa, uses a fictional character from a novel to illustrate Christian courage in the face of persecution. The ODB author wrote: Fear is Hadassah’s constant companion. Hadassah, a young Jewish girl living in the first century, is a fictional character in Francine Rivers’ book A Voice in the Wind. After Hadassah becomes a slave in a Roman household, she fears persecution for her faith in Christ. She knows that Christians are despised, and many are sent to their execution or thrown to the lions in the arena. Will she have the courage to stand for the truth when she is tested?
Peter, in today’s highlight passage, was writing to Christians in his day in Asia Minor who were being severely persecuted, even tortured and killed, for their faith. And he was writing to them from first hand experience, knowing their fear, having run and denied Christ when Jesus was being persecuted (Luke 22:54:62). But later, having personally experiencing Christ’s forgiveness and grace (see John 21:15-19), Peter could encourage these persecuted Christians, knowing the blessing they would receive for their persecution in Christ’s Name.
Perhaps some readers here are in times of trial or even persecution; and your faith is being tried or tested severely. Well, … EVEN IF … that is the case (as the linked song sings), if we believe in the truths Paul exhorts in 2Cor. 12:9, knowing all the persecution he endured, we can be lifted up, as Isaiah encouraged in Is. 41:10 and be Christ’s witness of faith and courage (see Acts 1:8).
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for your empowering grace when my faith is tested.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Help any reading here to hold on to Your promises and receive Your grace … to stand in the face of persecution. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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