Sunday, April 24 I take pleasure . . . in insults.​—2 Cor. 12:10.

[Áine]

Sunday, April 24

I take pleasure . . . in insults.—2 Cor. 12:10.

 

None of us like to be insulted. However, if our enemies do insult us and we are overly concerned with what they say, we can become discouraged. (Prov. 24:10) How, then, should we view the insults of opposers? Like the apostle Paul, we can “take pleasure . . . in insults.” Why? Because insults and opposition are signals that we are genuine disciples of Jesus. (1 Pet. 4:14) Jesus said that his followers would be persecuted. (John 15:18-20) That proved true in the first century. Back then, those influenced by Greek culture viewed Christians as unintelligent and weak. And among the Jews, Christians were considered to be “uneducated and ordinary,” like the apostles Peter and John. (Acts 4:13) Christians seemed to be weak; they had no political influence or military power, and people viewed them as outcasts of society. Did those early Christians allow the negative view of their opposers to stop them? No. w20.07 14-15 ¶3-4