Acts 5:40-42 ESV
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 dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
It has been said, “God doesn’t simply want us to feel good. He wants us to be good. And very often the road to being good involves not feeling good.”
Suffering can be embraced as a wind of advancement OR Suffering can be embraced as a wind of retreat
In Acts 5, Peter and the apostles suffering pressed them forward and not backwards
- They were beaten and charged not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore
- They Rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name
- They daily taught in the temple and from house to house, preaching Jesus
They could live through suffering because they had a view that looked higher than the suffering right in front of them.
Suffering becomes beautiful when you look up, down and around and realize you are following Jesus.