7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
Model believers are not those who have never been through suffering. On the contrary, those who have suffered the most and continued to grow in the faith are the kind of believers that we are to emulate. Anyone can claim to be a Jesus-follower in easy times. It is much harder to do so when you are facing the open end of a loaded rifle, or the match ready to ignite the gasoline poured on your children. Faith that is untested could very well be faith, but faith that has been tested is worth following. I am not saying that we should go out and seek hardship. “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2Tim 3:12). If our life does not have struggle, perhaps we are not as close to the Lord as we think. I don’t mean to imply that we will all be tortured with fire-heated branding irons, but that if we are living with eternity on our minds we will have different priorities in life. We will probably be giving more of our resources to causes around the world that bring Jesus to those who have not heard the good news. We will be involved in our communities doing the same. If we don’t feel the financial squeeze, perhaps we are not giving enough. Paul called for equity in giving and receiving. We have been blessed here in the United States. I feel we have a responsibility to use our resources to help those who don’t have those resources. This is not just giving to ease your conscience. I am talking about giving your life, your energies, and your passion to the cause of Christ. That is why Paul is commending these believers. They had given everything, not withholding anything. They had jumped headlong into the freedom we have in Jesus, and they had suffered for it. Perhaps this type of suffering is in our future as American Christians. We had better be ready, no matter what the future holds. Surrender afresh to Jesus. Draw close and He will see you through.
The Arnold Journey 