JANUARY 26, 1 Peter 3:16-18 

January is usually a happy month as people celebrate the New Year and we in Singapore may also celebrate Chinese New Year. Such celebrations are joyous occasions and especially the children are happy when receiving red packets and eating a lot of goodies. However, if we could turn the clock back to January 1942, today will be a terrible day. We will know that the Japanese Imperial Army is just in Johor, Malaysia, and will soon start its full and cruel invasion of Singapore, ruling the country in terror for the next three and half years.

What if you were a Christian child living in those days? It would have been the most terrible and painful period of your life. Countless were killed, thousands of families destroyed. If the Japanese threatened death for all who do not deny Jesus, would you still remain faithful to Christ? Imagine others forsaking Jesus; they could include your Junior Worship teacher, your father, some older Christians and even some church leaders.

With such examples, your heart sinks. What should you do?

Believers in the time of Peter were tested in quite the same way as those during the war. Christians were persecuted and hunted down and they were often not able to gather in public places to worship. Nonetheless, the Apostle encouraged them in verse 15 “and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

The path to Christian glory is through suffering. Jesus Himself showed the way. He suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. He, the Son of God, took our place that we, the sons of men, might be the sons of God. us, the purpose of our Lord’s suffering and death was to reconcile us to God, to give us access to the Father, and to bring us to eternal glory at last. All this was won for us through suffering. Now if our Lord suffered for our good, should we resist or rebel if we should suffer for Him?

Thought: What an honour to suffer for Christ!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to be a good soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus suffered so much for me, help me to be able to suffer a little for Him as well. Give me courage as You know I am still young and weak. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.