Today's encouragement comes from 2 Timothy 1:8b & 9a, where Paul wrote these words, to the young pastor:
" . . . [B]ut share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the pow-er of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace . . . "How do faithful church ministers and parishioners suffer for the gospel "accor-ding to the power of God"? This is done through *identification* with Christ, His church, and His servants—especially those enduring Satan's wrath against God's grace. It *does* take God's power to share in gospel sufferings, because the tendency of our flesh is to *withdraw* from those who are most-closely associated with suffering persecution for the cause of Christ.
May all God's churched children determine to count it a badge of honor, to be tightly-bound with Jesus, and His glorious gospel—no matter what the conse-quences may be.
[Puritan quote of the day: "A truly mortified man is like a warrior: he will either kill or be killed. He will kill his sins or else his sin will kill him.” —Christopher Love, in, "The Mortified Christian"]
