1 Peter 3:14
14 But [alla] and if [ei
kai] ye suffer [pascho]
for [dia] righteousness' sake [dikaiosune], happy [makarios] are ye:
and [de] be [phobeo] not [me] afraid [phobeo] of their [autos] terror [phobos], neither [mede] be troubled
[tarasso]; KJV-Interlinear
14 But even if you should suffer
for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their
intimidation, and do not be troubled, NASB
This is the devils
world.Nothing good will ever come out
of this world.Only bad.
Therefore, forewarned,
you will be the recipient of many difficult times in your life. Some may be as annoying as insect bites,
others may be massively distressing.But
not to worry, because your future is safe and intact in Christ.
What the world cannot
do, is remove your spiritual life and blessings from you.
The world therefore
becomes only a testing ground for the believer.
It cannot define a destiny.It
cannot control history.The world cannot
manage anything, really.So the world
has nothing to offer anyone.
Since the world cannot
guarantee or articulate a destiny, its only purpose is to intimidate and
destroy, if at all possible.And it does
this by means of intimidation, distraction, and deception.
There are four sources
of distractions and trouble your own thoughts, other people, the
bureaucracies of the world, and natural phenomena. And folks without doctrine will be totally
inundated if not disillusioned by the world.
You will be hammered
with things that are popular.Things in
the media will hit you with tremendous repetition. The world has an endless array of
enticements, and things to draw out your wants and desires.
On the other side of
the coin, the world can hammer you with the most unfair of situations to exacerbate
your fears and anxieties.The world can
make you feel small and without control over your own life or destiny. The world can take from you and keep on
taking, then toss you off to the side and forget you. For that is its purpose.
The world follows the
pattern of Satan, which draws a future only for himself, at your expense. You
will never be in Satan s plans, not even the angels that followed him into
rebellion are of any concern to him.He
gladly sacrifices any and all, for his own advantage. And that is what the world has for you.
Isa. 8:12-13
12 You are not to say,
'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And
you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 It is the Lord of
hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall
be your dread. NASB
Matt. 5:10
10 Blessed are those
who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. NASB
But, you have one thing
that the world does not, nor ever will have a future in heaven.
The world is temporary
and will soon cease to exist, and then it will be totally forgotten, by all who
will live in heaven.
Therefore, align
yourself with God, with Christ, with doctrine, with your spiritual life. And as Peter emphasizes here in this book, be
obedient to your faith and God, and do not risk or compromise the wealth of
your future, for something that is going to disappear from history.