“Treasure up indestructible gold in the Treasury of God” (Inner Word).
On our way of following Christ, our Father allows us to share in the sufferings of Christ (cf. Col 1:24). Persecution and slander may come upon us for the sake of the Name of Jesus. If we hold fast to the truth out of love for God, it is not unusual for conflicts to arise with those who do not want to accept the truth, and this is a cause of suffering. Jesus Himself foretold this: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too” (Jn 15:20).
Certainly this is not the active Will of our loving Father; it is the result of the alienation of many people in the world from God. But in His goodness, our Father knows how to use precisely these sufferings and adversities for our good (Rom 8:28). When we suffer persecution for the sake of His Son’s Name, He is especially close to us, and if we accept these tribulations and face them in the Spirit of the Lord, we treasure up indestructible gold in God’s Treasury.
This relates to the fact that in the midst of suffering we show God a stronger love. Indeed, the testimony of faith that we give here is not only for our own salvation; it is also for other people, whom our Father seeks in His goodness.
“No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” – the Lord tells us (Jn 15:13). Every suffering, every unjust persecution, every slander we endure for the Lord’s sake is a “laying down of life” in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. Thus, our suffering is united with that of our Lord and becomes indestructible gold in God’s Treasury, which He will never forget. In eternity we will see that everything we did out of love and, above all, suffering for the sake of Christ’s name shines brightly. Then we will thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to show Him our love in this way.
And as we go forward on our journey, we will begin to thank Him already now for being able to serve Him in this way.