"But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler." If I could name this verse, I would name it "What You Bring On You." Suffering is not always an indication of new life in Christ. The hardship that I face in suffering is not always a blessing. What Peter says next is a very, very important qualification; and it's also incredibly humbling. Not all suffering is a blessing because there is a kind of suffering that we bring on ourselves.
Let's step back and think about when God's Law was given. After God had redeemed the Children of Israel from slavery, that means He had already placed His love on them, they were already His children, they didn't have to earn or deserve that, He leads them out of Egypt, plants them in front of Mount Sinai, and He gives them His Law. That Law was not a means of them earning favor with Him. That Law was a gift of His grace because these people, who for over four-hundred years, had every choice of life pre-made for them by their masters, had no idea how to live.
God's Law is a product of His love; He wants His children to thrive. And this is the Creator who knows the world He's made. He knows now the nature of its fallenness, its brokenness. He knows us; He knows our struggle with sin, and so He gives us tracks to run on because He loves us. So, God's way of living is always the right way. It's the way of thriving. It's the way of peace and life and happiness and joy. So, when we step out of His will, this is very important to get, there will always be some degree of negative consequences.
Listen, you will never ever win a debate with God on what's the best way to live. It's impossible! And any time you step outside of His will, you're stepping into danger; you're stepping toward some kind of hardship, some kind of negative consequences. So that means you'll suffer, but you're suffering not because you're doing what is right and the world is mocking; you're suffering because you've stepped out of what is right, and there are natural consequences to those wrongs.
I would like to think that all of my suffering is gospel heroism, but it's not. I have the potential to make my life so painful, and so difficult, and so hard. Maybe that's just a harsh word to Luella, my wife, that hurts her feelings and introduces a tension in a moment in our relationship. And maybe we're someplace where we should be enjoying ourselves; and all of a sudden, we're not enjoying ourselves, and we're not enjoying our surroundings-that's just brief momentary consequences. What is it? I'm not suffering because I done what is right. I'm suffering because I stepped out of God's will.
Now this warning to us, reminds us that we do not battle alone, that God battles for us. And so, He's walking before us and He's warning us, "Just remember sometimes your suffering is a result of stepping out of My will and My way!"
