It is an honor and a privilege to suffer with Christ and be treated by the world the way it treated Him. “The fellowship of His sufferings” is a gift from God. Not every believer grows to the point where God can trust him with this kind of experience, so we ought to rejoice when the privilege comes to us. “And they [the apostles] departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41).

Christ is with us in the furnace of persecution. When the three Hebrew children were cast into the fiery furnace, they discovered they were not alone. The Lord was with Paul in all of his trials, and He promises to be with us “to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, NASB).

Paul wrote: “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” (Philippians 3:10).

Also read: Philippians 1:29; Isaiah 41:10: Daniel 3:23-25; 2 Timothy 4:9-18.

Action assignment: Memorize today’s verse and talk to God about its meaning to you.
WARREN W. WIERSBE
www.backtothebible.in