Shame is the power of peer pressure! People use shame as a means of pressuring others to conform to their thinking. Our natural inclination is to save face, for nobody wants to be ashamed. Now Peter, in writing to Christians undergoing persecution, warns them that if they take matters into their own hands, if they seek to get even or revenge of their persecutors-- if they are guilty of murder, thievery, evil doing, or even a busybody, they have no grounds to claim that their suffering is due to their Christian faith. They should be ashamed of themselves. But we are to be shameless when it comes to the gospel message we share, for it is indeed the power of God for salvation to those who believe. We are to be shameless in identifying ourselves as followers of Christ, to wear proudly the name of 'Christian'. We are to be shameless in suffering for one's faith, for God uses suffering to purify His church, to chasten His children. And there is no comparison between the temporal suffering we experience as God disciplines us, and the eternal suffering the unbeliever will experience away from the presence of God. The bottom line in suffering is that we need to commit ourselves to God, trust Him and continue to do good.
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