1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
What blessing can we expect when we are insulted for bearing the name of Jesus? Jesus told his disciples on the mountain side, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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” (Matthew 5:10-12). Peter may be reflecting on that here and has evidently been thinking more deeply about it. The most evident and significant blessing we experience when suffering for Christ is the presence of the Holy Spirit. This verse does not guarantee that we will be free from suffering. Rather, we should expect it. But we have a power within us, God’s own glory that created the universe and keeps in going, to help us through our suffering. This realization requires deep faith, a faith that grows through trials. This is a mystery over which many people struggle. It is not an easy concept. It cannot be logically explained. It can only be lived out through the crucibles of life as our faith is refined to become purer than the most refined and purest of gold (see 1 Peter 1:7). To experience God’s glory through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is the greatest experience we can have in this world. It is a foretaste of heaven. Rare are the moments in life when people experience this power, but it is available to us during our suffering for Christ.
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