Gospel Reflections #699: God will do the rest.

2 Timothy 3:12 "All who are united to Christ Jesus and seek to live religiously will suffer persecution."

We may be under the illusion that if we believe in and accept God, we will not suffer hardship or disaster.

Jesus said that there would be tribulation in the world, but He did not say that those who believe in Him would avoid it.

Satan's hostility towards humanity is inflamed because humanity has become the object of God's love and mercy through Christ.

But it is the grace that Christ plants in our hearts that causes hostility against Satan in mankind.

The 'hostility' He arouses in us is not something that judges, but something that discerns something different from God's character.

Just as sin is separation from God, so hostility is to anything apart from God.

It is by Jesus' grace and not by our intellect or sensibilities that the hostility against Satan arises in our hearts.

Nor is that hostility a battle to be fought; it is a battle of our will, in which we clearly express the One we follow.

But we do not fight it ourselves; we simply continue to choose God in our hearts.

God will do the rest.

Even if we are persecuted or martyred, at the end of the day there will be a great reversal of God.

God always tells us not to be afraid.

God always tells us not to be afraid, because He is with us and He will take the initiative in fighting for us.

Our God has already triumphed over the world.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.