10月12日
标 题：敬虔与迫害
经 节：不但如此，凡立志在基督耶稣里敬虔度日的也都要受逼迫。（提摩太后书三章12节）
活出敬虔的生命并不能够使你免受苦难。保罗说，你的生活愈是没有瑕疵，你愈有可能受逼迫。根据保罗所说：“只是作恶的和迷惑人的，必越久越恶，他欺哄人，也被人欺哄。”（提摩太后书三：13）当这个世界愈来愈沉溺于罪恶，世人会愈来愈无法忍受敬虔。黑暗不能忍受光；当你的生命愈加显出神同在的同时，你心里要有数，自己将面对黑暗的反对势力。你那像基督的性情会冒犯那些悖逆神主权的人。
你可能最近才悔改，向着顺服神迈开新的一步。也许因为祂才刚嘉许你的顺服，你正期待能马上经历神的祝福。然而，你反而遇见反对势力。那些迫害甚至可能是从其他基督徒的误解而来。也许你顺服神，而你的行动还是受指责，没有人称赞你。
如果你是真诚地跟随主，不要灰心。保罗警告那些想敬虔度日的人，会遭受逼迫。当这些事发生在你的身上时，不要惊讶。这个世界将神的儿子钉在十字架上，它当然也会敌视任何活在圣灵大能下的人。迫害可能是你基督徒生活的最佳明证。耶稣曾经警告，世人憎恨祂──世人的救主。所以，祂的门徒被误解或错待，是不可避免的（约翰福音十五：18）。
Godliness and Persecution
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)
Living a godly life will not insulate you from hardship. Paul said that the more blameless your life, the more likely you will be persecuted. According to Paul, “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse” (2 Tim. 3:13). As the world increasingly embraces sin, worldly people are becoming increasingly intolerant of godliness. Darkness cannot tolerate light; the more your life illuminates the presence of Christ, the more you should expect opposition from the forces of darkness. Your Christlike nature will be offensive to those in rebellion against Christ’s Lordship.
You may have recently repented of your sin and taken a new step of obedience to God. Perhaps you expected to experience God’s blessing immediately as He demonstrated His approval of your obedience. Instead, you were met with opposition. The persecution may have come even from other Christians who misunderstood your motives. Perhaps you obeyed God, and still your actions were met with criticism instead of praise.
If you are sincerely following the Lord’s direction, don’t be discouraged. Paul warned that those who seek to live godly lives will suffer persecution. Do not be surprised when this happens to you. If the world crucified the Son of God, surely the world will be hostile to anyone who lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Persecution may be the best evidence that your life is like that of Christ. Jesus warned that the world hated Him, the Savior, and so it would certainly misunderstand and mistreat His disciples (John 15:18).
