Hebrews 10:34
For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.
We have a hard time relating to this treatment in our day. When many come to Christ, their life gets better. There might be some ridicule and possible some social changes. But few of us are persecuted. The only field that I can think of in America that has a large negative result is the entertainment field. Actors won’t receive parts if they are openly christian; it’s career suicide.
The believers at the time of the writing were imprisoned and had their property taken away. Their government turned against them. This was a very serious decision. If someone became a christian, they meant it.
Why did they do it? It was a better deal. They understood that they were receiving eternal life. That alone is enough.
Another benefit and actually a better one is being reconciled to God. This is immediate. The fight is over, He gives us peace in our hearts. We get His guidance. We actually begin to function in the manner that we were created. We are reconciled to God. We are congruent on the inside and He helps us to be congruent with others, our career and circumstances. Because of this, any negativity against us is tolerable.
The believers in this passage were above “tolerating it”. They “joyfully” accepted the consequences. It’s ok to defend ourselves, if our system allows it. But for them, it was the system against them. They didn’t allow these things to get them down.
Lord, help us to be joyful in our difficulties.