“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
in doing good
The term “doing good” means to benefit others. When we actively live out the Christian life, even under extreme duress, we benefit others. God uses our commitment to Him to bless others. He will do something good with our lives when we deposit them with Him.
By doing good, no matter the circumstance, we live to a challenge from Christ,
“But I say to you who hear: ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you’” (Luke 6:27-28).
“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots” (Luke 23:24).
Remember Stephen’s example,
“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59-60).
Principle:
Good orientation to others implies the acceptance of God’s sovereignty in our lives.
Application:
It is easy to allow persecution to become an excuse for wrongdoing. It is easy to excuse deviance because of the difficulties of our lives. Often people enter apostasy out of rebellion against God because of trial’s that come their way.
Confidence in God’s plan for our lives, no matter what we may face, is a sign of mature understanding of God’s working. Understanding the sovereignty of God in the midst of pain is the ultimate answer for “why” things happen to us.
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