Marana tha

She would not compromise as others do and the lecturer would fail her repeatedly; he would not pay the bribe they asked for so he lost the contract; she refused to sleep with him before marriage so he called off the marriage; his parent refused to pay his school fees because he goes to church; maybe none of them is your story but believers are persecuted daily. How will we respond? Where will we be in the weeks and months following this persecution? If we are faithful to our saviour, we will receive His commendation.

Faithfulness relates closely to perseverance – facing the challenges of life without allowing them hinder one’s progress in the faith. It involves an ongoing steadiness and consistency. Despite all challenges we face as Christians, we have this assurance – the temporary sufferings and persecutions for Christ’s sake will be replaced by an eternity of reward and rejoicing.

The Lord will one day correct these injustice. God will one day judge the persecutors, the unrepentant evil doers, no matter how successful they may seem – the day of utter vindication for God’s people, when righteousness will triumph and sin will be completely defeated.

God’s judgement will come upon those who do not know him and those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Knowing God involves intimacy and relationship with Him. God calls us his children because we believe in Christ. We have the wonderful promise that “we shall be like him as he is” we shall find ultimate participation and fulfillment in His glory when we are like Him.

Being counted worthy to be called God’s children is not about what we did, how we led our lives or what we earned. It is a by grace that we are saved. We surrendered ourselves to God’s purpose for our lives. We turn over to His control with the assurance that He is leading us to a place beyond what we could imagine.

Yes, persecutions and self-denials will come. Sometimes, it may continue even to the end of our lives. However, if we preserver, God’s plan will be fully seen in us. No power on earth or scheme of humankind can change that reality. We should expect His redemption, when our expectations is cut off, we should hope, when hope fail, we should have faith. If faith does not seem to be doing the job, we should endure. When enduring is not enough we should preserve. However, in all we do, we should never give up. God is not done with us yet.

We must maintain an eternal perspective. We can know that despite our challenges and limitations, we have eternal life through faith in Christ. We do well to examine our attitudes from time to time, ensuring that the problems of the present does not distract us from focusing on eternity. While the world can overwhelm us with trials, its pressures and priorities can also distract us; with God’s help, may we respond solemnly to the realities of God’s judgement by seeking eternal rewards.