Worthy

Read Acts 4:1-22 and 5:17-42 and think about it. How amazing is verse 41? “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” I can’t get over it. I’ve thought about it on several occasions, and I still can’t begin to tell you how amazing I find this. Why am I not like this? My attitude towards trials in life should be exactly like this. The apostles had just been imprisoned, freed by an angel, imprisoned again, put on trial, and finally beaten severely and set free. And yet, they leave the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake.

 The rejoicing is one thing. Thankfulness for such an ordeal can only come through the grace of God and a deep adoration of the Lord. I wonder; if I ever went through something like that, would I rejoice at the end? Do I have such joy in Christ that I would be thankful and joyful for the trial I just went through?

 But there’s another thing that gets me. They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer! Worthy? Meaning that outside of Christ, they would not have had the privilege of being tortured for His name! I don’t normally consider torture a privilege. But they did. They loved Christ so much, that being beaten was an honor, the least that they could do to show their adoration of Him.

 If the apostles responded like this to being persecuted, why can’t I respond in the way I should when I go through a trial? I’ve never been persecuted or even gone through a major trial in my life and walk with Christ. Yet when the smallest things come my way, I’ll lose my patience and act in a way not at all honoring towards God. Every time a new trial comes my way, insignificant though it may be, I need to remember the apostles’ attitude here in Acts and model my behavior after them. If they can act like this after persecution, how well can I act when something doesn’t go my way?