Bethany Lutheran Church

"Following Christ"

May 6, 2026

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit … [We are saved] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him. (1 Peter 3:13-18, 21b-22)

I think all of us are familiar with the suffering that comes when we’ve done something wrong. But it sometimes happens that we suffer when we’ve done something right. I’m talking about the times when, through no fault of our own, we suffer because someone else is doing evil, and attacking us as a part of their wrongdoing. This is a really hard position to be in, because naturally we want to protect ourselves! We want to make sure that everyone knows we are innocent, and if we can, we want to make sure the suffering falls on the ones who truly deserve it.

But Peter calls us to a different way of life—one where we follow Jesus, who “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous.” Jesus refused to let fear control Him. He didn’t spend His time trumpeting His innocence, though He certainly mentioned it (see Luke 22:52-53; John 18:23). Nor did He use the divine power available to Him to attack His enemies. Instead, He did what Peter says: He acted with gentleness and respect, and He entrusted Himself to God the Father. And God used His suffering, death, and resurrection to redeem us all.

It’s not always a good idea for us to go all-out when it comes to self-defense. If defending ourselves means acting in a way that harms innocents, or that dishonors Christ, it’s better for us to accept the suffering that comes to us and trust ourselves into God’s hands, just as Jesus did. We can trust that God will raise us up again, just as He did Jesus, even if we can’t see how at this moment. We share in Jesus’ suffering and also in His resurrection—for we belong to Him.

WE PRAY: Lord, when I suffer unjustly, please live in me and through me, to Your glory. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.