“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ..” — Acts 5:40-42
The apostles were wrongly put in prison, mistreated, and then beaten. When released, they didn’t go home crying, they went away rejoicing. They counted it a privilege that they were “counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” What an attitude!
How do we continue after we feel mistreated or after going through a trial? No matter the circumstances, God’s children should move forward, joyfully serving Him! Serve the Lord with joy, both when life seems good as when life seems difficult.
Life will throw you into many unfair and undesirable situations. We would be wise to take pointers from the apostles, the men who moved forward joyfully.
- They Departed
The first, most obvious thing you must do after a situation is learn to depart. Whether mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, just move on. Don’t allow negative situations to play over and over in your mind like horror movies. If you’re going to move forward with joy, you must begin “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
- They Determined to Suffer Joyfully
We can pray for escape, relief, or acceptance, but we must determine to continue forward no matter what happens. Suffering for God is part of the Christian life, and it’s also an acceptable gift to God (Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12). None of us would choose suffering if we had a choice, but God allows it in our life for our good and His glory. We might not choose suffering, but we can choose to suffer joyfully for our Lord. The apostles didn’t just suffer, they did it willingly and joyfully.
- They Daily Served
After the apostles were beaten, they didn’t throw in the towel, they continued serving. They “daily” served the Lord by preaching and ministering to others. And we as God’s children must not allow the trials of life to quench our fire for God. Get back up and serve God daily. May we be busy every day about our Father’s business.