Devotional

…. and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.
Acts 5:40-41

It was early days in the life of the New Testament Church. Great miracles were performed. Many people became followers of Jesus. But with it came great persecution. On one occasion the disciples were imprisoned and then flogged. But their response was quite the opposite of what we would expect. They did not blame God. They did not regret their decisions. But they rejoiced that they were found worthy of suffering for his name.

It is a far cry from the attitude of too many modern day followers of Jesus who seek only comfort and ease, and abandon Jesus if they do not get what they want. They pray only for God to make life easy for them, to heal their sicknesses, to help their finances, to fix their relationships. Yet the main focus of the disciples was the glory of God and the spread of the gospel even in the middle of pain and suffering.

Serving Jesus does indeed bring with it great blessing. And quite often the peace and joy we receive by his grace goes far beyond what we even imagined. But our main focus should remain the glory of the name of Jesus and the spreading of the gospel. This is the whole point. The gospel is a message of salvation, not a ticket to prosperity. There is a cost to this journey of following, but if you truly love Jesus, you will be willing to pay it gladly, just like the disciples did.

God bless you and your family
Brett