Persecution

PrincessMary

i need to understand something ...what is meant by the verse...

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12

what is meant by "persecution".....like martyrs they suffered persecution and suffering..i understand that...but is that the only kind of "persecution"....? or are problems and difficultites in life..somehow considered persecutions.....?

sleepymusician

Yea, the things that we go through in our life. The small tribulations, and adversities that we face in our day to day life are persecutions. There are many choices that we can make in life to satisfy ourselves, but there are only so many that we can make to please God, and those are our persecutions. Hope that helped.

sleepy

PrincessMary

thanks sleepy
....ok but besides making choices...

but why do these things happen?
what is the purpose of having hardships in life (ex: death in family, diseases, family problems.....etc..anything else the list goes on)..........i dont think this is "suffering/being persecuted for Christ" but i dont see why stuff like this happens? why do bad things happen?

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12
does this mean all christians will have a difficult life on earth?

Magnoona4lyf

Hey princessmary,


It's very difficult to comprehend why God allows us to suffer some times, but I'll try my best to frame it into words. You see the whole part about us suffering and why God allows us to suffer is so that later on we dont have to. What u sow u will reap, so if we dont go through trials and tribulations now and grow with them in our lives, we'd have nothing to look forward to after we die. It's like a farmer who spends a whole bunch of time taming the ground and planting and sweating his face off till hes so tired...but he does it knowing that the ending product is going to be worth all his hard work. Its just like at work....would you keep working at your job and try so hard in school if you knew there'd be no pay chck or diploma at the end? Of course not....so the reason bad things happen is so better things can take over. If heaven didnt exist, why would we need to carry a cross?

In 1peter 6-7 it says "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, That the genuiness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,though it is tested through fire,may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of JESUS CHRIST."

Also in Romans 8:18-19 it says "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worhty to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creaTION eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God".

Despite the fact that we go through so many hardships, the end result is always perfected in your life as God planned it to be. Just as the gold is refined in the fire but in the end it becomes a priceless piece of jewelry....we are also refined in the trials of this world so that we may grow in Christ and receive the kingdom of heaven as our prize. The perfect example is Job....he lost everything he ever had, including his sons and daughters and never once complained to God or questioned his ways and in the end God gave him everything back times two! The only time God will take from you is when he wants to give you something better. Hope i helped sum ;)



GOD BLESS ALL! :-*

sleepymusician

That was really good Magnoona. I just want to add on that lets the people that he love suffer, and Magnoona's example, Job, is perfect. He wants to see your love to him, and he tests it through the little tribulations and persecutions he sets for you. That way in the end, the more you suffered, the more you love him, the only way you'll be with him. It's as said, he's a loving God, but he's also just, and will judge us according to our deeds in the end.

sleepy