If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him...
2 Timothy 2:12a
Having to suffer mistreatment at the hands of those whom we try to help and do good to, is a hard concept to understand. But it is true. Sometimes the ones we as Christians show the most kindness to, will in turn pay us back for our kindness and generosity with hostility, rejection and scorn...
2 Timothy 2:12a
Having to suffer mistreatment at the hands of those whom we try to help and do good to, is a hard concept to understand. But it is true. Sometimes the ones we as Christians show the most kindness to, will in turn pay us back for our kindness and generosity with hostility, rejection and scorn...
I have experienced this many times in the past, and I am experiencing it right now. It certainly troubles my heart because it is emotionally painful to be turned upon when all I have done for this particular individual was to provide help to him in a variety of ways. But such is life. As the Bible adamantly declares, the hearts of men can be exceedingly cruel and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).
Furthermore, in the Old Testament, in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah the prophet, which foretells of the future coming of Israel's Messiah, that He would be a "man of sorrows" who'd be well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). And what I received from this scripture is that like the Lord Jesus himself, when we are kind to others and extend ourselves to them sacrificially, we may end up getting hurt.
Moreover, it has been said that wounds inflicted by a friend hurt more than those inflicted by an enemy. But such wounds of the heart and soul come with the territory. Serving God, as I see again and again, can be a bittersweet experience. But the good news is, if we have suffered with Christ, we are going to reign with Him. In the end, when it is our turn to stand before the Lord, we?will see that loving and serving Him was worth it.
D. B.
Furthermore, in the Old Testament, in the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah the prophet, which foretells of the future coming of Israel's Messiah, that He would be a "man of sorrows" who'd be well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). And what I received from this scripture is that like the Lord Jesus himself, when we are kind to others and extend ourselves to them sacrificially, we may end up getting hurt.
Moreover, it has been said that wounds inflicted by a friend hurt more than those inflicted by an enemy. But such wounds of the heart and soul come with the territory. Serving God, as I see again and again, can be a bittersweet experience. But the good news is, if we have suffered with Christ, we are going to reign with Him. In the end, when it is our turn to stand before the Lord, we?will see that loving and serving Him was worth it.
D. B.
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