#soap # 2 Timothy 03 ## Title: Don’t Be Surprised By Difficulty ## Scripture: (2 Timothy 3:12) “Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (NET) ## Observation: We all expect to have certain kinds of difficulty. We are even willing to admit that certain types of difficulty are necessary for human flourishing. Dealing with difficulty in the preparation for a big goal teaches us perseverance. What we don’t always expect is that God’s Word tells us we WILL face persecution for the sake of our trust in Jesus. The Gospel is offensive because it tells people they are doing something wrong but God’s way is better. That will not sit right with everyone. Therefore, we should not be surprised when persecution comes because of our pursuit of God. Rather, is it possible we should be surprised if we never experience this? Does that mean no one around us knows the Gospel or that we serve Jesus? Does this mean we are being a light in those dark places? This doesn’t mean we go around shaming people. It means we go around unashamed and living out loud with our hope in Jesus. ## Application: Never be ashamed to live out loud for Jesus… Just don’t be weird. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for being worth celebrating.