Counted worthy

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. – Acts 5.41-42

Nobody likes suffering. We would be crazy if we did. From the way things are going on the world today though it looks ‘suffering shame’ for Christ may be in the future. The world is becoming more and more anti-Christ and anti-Christian and we are not going to be well liked if we keep on living for and speaking for Jesus.

It would have been easy to crawl down into pity party pit and feel sorry for themselves. It would have been easy to avoid the preaching. It would have been easy to maybe protest or cry and whinge and complain about how hard it was going to be. I am afraid that that is where I might find myself in times like that.

But what was their attitude?

They rejoiced because they were ‘found worthy’ to suffer for Him.

Why? Because Jesus said the those who live godly will suffer. That means that if they were suffering it was because they were living godly. It meant that they were following the example of Christ.

I wonder how many of us will be counted worthy to suffer for the Christ. If we do I wonder how may of us will do it with joy.