Daily Devotions
Ephesians
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling which you were called."
Text: Ephesians 4:1
CHOSEN TO SUFFER
In the eyes of his Jewish persecutors, Paul’s incarceration was well-deserved. They wished they could have done greater harm. They would love to see him killed, if they could bring that to pass.
In Paul’s eyes, he chose to see himself as a prisoner of the Lord, rather than being a Roman prisoner. The Lord had already intimated that he would suffer many things for His sake. The Lord spoke to Ananias, the man sent to restore sight to Paul.
But the Lord said to him,
‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine
to bear My name before Gentiles, kings,
and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how many things
he must suffer for My name’s sake.
ACTS 9:15-16
Did Paul know that he was going to suffer for the sake of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
PAUL’S THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING
At the end of Paul’s first missionary journey, his message to the churches he co-founded with Barnabas may well be summarized in the following text.
And when they had preached the gospel to that city
and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra,
Iconium, and Antioch.
Strengthening the souls of the disciples,
exhorting them to continue in the faith,
and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations
enter the kingdom of God.’
ACTS 14:21-23
Through personal experience, time and again, Paul had come to understand that suffering must be expected. But anyone who truly understood the worth of the kingdom of God would be prepared to suffer for the sake of the Gospel.
With great consistency, Paul made another significant statement about suffering in his letter to the Philippians.
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ,
not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
having the same conflict which you saw in me and
now hear is in me.
PHILIPPIANS 1:29-30
Does our theology include “suffering for the sake of the Gospel”? Paul was able to bear with much suffering in his life, because he had the finest example ever! The Lord Jesus Himself bore much pain and suffering for the sake of the Gospel!