F/THEN Week 3 Devotions (with Scripture)

Monday, June 2, 2025  - Read John 15:20-22 – 20Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
The world's hatred for Jesus is rooted in its opposition to God. Jesus came as the embodiment of God's love, truth, and righteousness, and His very presence exposed the darkness of this selfish and sinful world. As a result, those who were unwilling to repent and turn to God found it easier to reject Jesus and His message than to confront their own sinfulness and need for a Savior. As Jesus’ representatives in the world, we can expect the same response as we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - Read Acts 5:27-30 - 27The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.
Immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection, His disciples experienced persecution. In Acts 5, Peter and John were thrown into prison for preaching the gospel. When asked why they insisted on proclaiming salvation in the name of Jesus after being given strict orders to stop, they said “we must obey God rather than human beings.” Who are you obeying today? God or man? As followers of Christ, we choose to obey God even if it costs us everything.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025 - Read Acts 16:22-26 - 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
Paul and Silas were attacked, stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison for proclaiming the name of Jesus in the city of Philippi. They had every right to feel angry and frustrated with God in the face of persecution. But rather than blaming God, they lifted their prayers and sang to the Lord so loud that all the other prisoners heard them. And that’s when God showed up in a powerful way. The next time you face the pain of persecution, remember that you are not alone. God is with you and nothing, absolutely nothing happens without His permission. So, how does God want to use your hardship for His glory today?

Thursday, June 5, 2025 - Read Romans 8:18 – 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
When Jesus called Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles, He said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Paul lists his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 15 which included: multiple imprisonments, floggings, beatings, and being stoned and left for dead. Yet Paul writes in Romans 8 that he considers “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Persecution loses its sting in the light of eternity. Indeed, “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22).

Friday, June 6, 2025 - Read 1 Peter 3:13-17 - Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Pressure reveals character. When we are faced with hardship and persecution, our true nature rises to the surface. That’s why Peter encourages believers to always “revere Christ as Lord” in our hearts. Because, if He is at the center of our being, it is His character that will rise to the surface when trouble comes. Then we will be able to “give an answer . . . for the hope” we have and encourage others, even our persecutors, to put their faith and trust in Jesus who willingly suffered and died for their sins and yours.