Blessed are you when people insult you and are cruel to you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets of God who were before you (Matthew 5: 11 -12)

Life experiences have taught me that suffering is part of life and that everyone under goes suffering one way or the other. But what mankind abhors is suffering unjustly and wrongly.
The Holy Bible teaches that unjust sufferings are also part of life because we live in a fallen, unfair and evil world with corrupt people and evil god. So all of us are bound to suffer unjustly and wrongly one way or the other.
In our today's devotion, the Lord Jesus hinted to us that unjust sufferings can be good, for it brings the favour of God. Thus, Jesus shifted the goal posts for us on suffering wrongly and unjustly. He pointed out that those who follow Him, who belong to Him will be mistreated, insulted, cruelly persecuted and falsely reproached just because they are of Christ's or sought to those things that please the Lord.. Theologians called this Sacrificial Suffering. What is interesting about it is not the name, but the rewards and the exhortation to those who undergo it.
Apostle Paul knowing this made it his goal to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and to share in His suffering and be conformed to His death (Phil 3: 10). The problem with us, modern day Christians, is that we want to know Christ and His resurrection power, but not His suffering and His death. We always say Amen to the first two, but not to the last two. Our mindset is far from what the early people understood as Christian faith.
Apostle Peter draws out a crucial lines of demarcation for us on suffering. While we applaud rightly and justly suffering because we are at fault and deserve the punishment, the Apostles said, that should be unbecoming for christians, because there is no merit or credit before God for us. Rather if we should suffer, it should be that of sacrificial suffering, that we do what is right and pleases God and are punished for it. For this kind of suffering is part of our calling, and Christ has set the pattern for us, and we are to follow His footsteps (1 Peter 2: 19 -21). So if you and I, from today onwards, should suffer, then it should be for a good conscience towards God sake, that is, desiring to do right, to please God, for that unjust suffering finds or attracts God's favour.

My encouragement to you who are going through such sacrificial sufferings is that your suffering will not be in vain, The the Lord knows it all, sees it all and will come through to you in due season. Your pains and suffering would be rewarded and those maltreating you will not go unpunished. For our God is a righteous and just God. So pray for the Lord to turn your mourning into dancing and your tears into rejoicing.
So as you go through the day and live life, embrace sacrificial suffering for it will cause you to find favour in the sight of God.
May you learn not to shy away from suffering for Christ sake and may all your sacrificial sufferings result in abundant harvest of rewards in Jesus name. Amen
Shalom, life and grace to you
Moving people onto God's purposes
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@johnsonkoranteng @sirknight @sc-g