7 Jul 2011
I Thessalonians 2:2
I Thessalonians 2:2: “But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.”
There’s a good lesson here. Even after Paul was persecuted time and time again for preaching the gospel, he kept right on preaching it. He didn’t let what happened in the past affect what he did in the future. He didn’t carry around baggage – he just kept boldly proclaiming Jesus. He persevered in the face of much opposition.
God calls us to do the same thing. It’s easy to get upset over things that happened in the past, or become discouraged when we’re persecuted. But God calls us to lead bold lives, telling others about Jesus both “in season” and “out of season”. In other words, we’re called to be a light to the world when people appreciate it, and when people don’t appreciate it.