“Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”.

Christ followers do some self-evaluation when we are hurting. Peter’s point was, be encouraged by looking to Jesus and His sufferings which came as a result of His commitment to the will of the Father. He suffered and died out of love.    

Most parents will go through great deal of sufferings and inconvenience out of love for their children. It gives purpose for their pain. Love for freedom or for the country motivates soldiers to sacrifice themselves in harm’s way in war.  There are many Christians suffering hardship while serving the Lord in difficult situations and circumstances. Missionaries and pastors have suffered so lost people can know Jesus Christ as their Savior. By our witness, are we willing to suffer if it becomes a testimony to others of truth of God? I have often visited with people who were suffering who wanted to understand the will of God in their situation.           

Peter was calling Christians to a life of holiness.  He was calling them to follow Jesus by repudiating sin. It was a call to distinguish between human desires and sinful desires. Peter like Paul also calls us to arm ourselves with that same attitude that Jesus had by submitting ourselves to God's will. To arm ourselves is like a warrior putting on armor for protection and weapons for offense. When we are in God's will we do have spiritual protection against the temptations of the evil one.

In Ephesians 6 Paul says our offensive weapons become prayer and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Having the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives opens us up to a greater will for which we live. It seems when suffering comes, we must ask if we really are in His will or have we missed something.           

Jesus’ purpose is also stated in John 4:34 "My desire is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work." When someone is suffering for any reason, his priorities change. When one man was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he said new cars and new suits were no longer important, but God, family, and church are.

Suffering often brings people to their knees before God. When Christians face suffering for their faith, they evaluate their real desires and material possession and ask, “Is it really worth it?” Many Christians have become spiritual giants through painful crises in their lives and said such things like, "This experience drove me to my knees. I vowed that when I got out of the hospital, I'd be all out for God from now on.”           

Application:   What is God’s will for your life?

Prayer:  Father, guide me to yield my will to follow You.   Through Your Holy Spirit enable me to obey today what I know I should be doing.  Direct me in Your time and in Your way today, tomorrow and always.