"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ...
...and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith...
...that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
- Philippians 3:7-11
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- All who seek to be Godly will be persecuted.
- God blesses those who are persecuted.
- When we are persecuted, we should make sure it is not for our own wrongdoing, but rather for Christ's sake.
- Christ suffered for us to the point of bearing our sins and being separated from God the Father before we knew or loved Him. Should we not be willing to suffer much more mildly for Him who knows and loves us intimately?
- We should rejoice when we are considered worthy to suffer for our Lord.
- The Lord bears our burdens for us and gives us an eternal reward far greater than our sufferings.
- The terrible consequences of our sin were paid by Christ. The discipline God gives His children when they sin is simply a small reminder to repent.
- We can consider as suffering anything we have that we don't want, or anything we want but don't have.
- Our primary concern when we encounter suffering should not be to get rid of it, but for God to be glorified through it.
- God uses suffering to develop His character within us.
- It is a mark of maturity for us to pray that God will leave an affliction in our life for as long as it is useful for His purposes.
- It is wiser to prepare for a life of adversity than for a life of ease.
- Our nation as a whole has forsaken God's ways. In the absence of widespread repentance, how long will He withhold His judgment? It is a sobering responsibility as well as an exciting privilege to live in days such as these.
II Timothy 3 ~ Matthew 5:10-12 ~ I Peter 4:12-19 ~ Philippians 3:10-11 ~ Matthew 27:46 ~ II Corinthians 1:3-5 ~ I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~ Acts 5:41 ~ Psalm 68:19 ~ II Corinthians 12:7-10 ~ Romans 8:18 ~ Hebrews 12:1-13 ~ John 17:14-18 ~ I Peter 1:6-9 ~ Proverbs 27:1 ~ Ezekiel 33:1-9
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"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength."
- Mark 12:30
"And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who
will be able to teach others also."
- II Timothy 2:2
"...Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."
- I Corinthians 2:9
"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life."
- Proverbs 4:23
"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."
-I Thessalonians 5:24