All tagged suffering
This morning we will contemplate the effect that material prosperity and good health have on our spiritual growth and wellbeing. E. M. Bounds, the author of my morning devotional reading, was so concerned about the negative effects of financial success and other worldly possessions on us as Christians, and the church as a whole, that he wrote these words:
Today I encourage you to read through Romans 12; this is a wonderful chapter that tells us how to live each day as Christians. Among instructions such as feeding the hungry and blessing those who persecute us, there is a short little verse that instructs us to constantly pray during our times of trouble. Praying without ceasing is an important theme, and there is another short verse in 1st Thessalonians that tells us the same thing. This verse in Romans instructs us to “be constant in prayer”, and both are repeated biblical reminders of an important message regarding our prayer life… live in constant prayer.
We have spoken of our troubles and afflictions as they relate to our faith through prayer, and today we revisit this topic again. Pastor E.M. Bounds simply called his short devotional thought "Affliction", and wrote "The greatest value in trouble comes to those who turn to God in prayer. In fact, the only way to endure trouble patiently, is to pray consistently.” Scripture tells us this...
06/10/2024
This morning we contemplate the sufferings of this world and life as compared to the spiritual rewards we have through our faith. The pain, disappointment, and anguish we have as we pass through this existence seems great, but when compared to our final reward it is nothing.
Yesterday we contemplated a faithful mother who sought a miracle for her daughter (Mat 25:22-28). The persistence of that mother caught the attention of Jesus and left us with a lesson for all time. When every hope is dashed and desperation appears to be our closest friend... that is when we should cling most to our faith... that is when prayer can bring the most amazing things to bear… even a stronger faith.
I have twin sisters and several years ago one of them was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor. The doctors were uncertain as to whether it was cancer or not, so we prayed, and the surgeon removed a benign growth. That happened quite a long time ago. But later they found another tumor and after testing it her OBGYN told her it too looked benign but would need to be removed and tested. However, after having sighed a sigh of relief she received a subsequent call from her Oncologist who believed it might be cancer. Of course we prayed he was wrong. In times such as these we need to renew our faith through scripture and prayer. If you are being pursued by the dark one today, you will love the encouraging verse we will be beginning with.
Are You Facing trials in your life right now? Does it feel like God has abandoned you and let the world have its way with you? Well praise God for where you are right now because in your misery He is expanding the beam of our faith. It is in such times that our faith isn’t tested... it is stretched as we reach desperately for His hand. The disciples of Jesus had just failed... they had been unable to cast a devil out of a child. They were feeling sorry for themselves and with their faces drooping, they asked Jesus why they hadn’t succeeded, and He said it was because of their unbelief. They were about to be stretched.
Many devout Christians will reach a place in their faith where they will call out to the Lord asking that they join Him in the suffering He experienced. One feels that if God breaks our bread and pours out our wine that the relationship we have with Him will grow all the closer, but something unexpected happens... it isn't God who breaks us and pours us out.
Are we being tempted with Jesus Christ even today? In that temptation do we continue on with Him, or do we turn away from Him and leave? This is a question Jesus asked His disciples at the last supper, and which is still valid today. Let’s ask ourselves one more question... when we give into our temptations are we saddling and shaming Jesus with sin again?
Are you suffering in or through something that God has called you to do? If so, how are you approaching your hardship? Does it cause you to question His presence in what you are doing, or are you experiencing pride in your suffering? Neither of these is a proper way to deal with your spiritual hardships because it makes His calling about yourself. Only a humble trust in God is the proper reaction.
How many times have we experienced sorrow in our lives? We would be unable to count them. Sorrow is a fact of life, and the result of caring, loving, and regret. God uses sorrow for His purposes, and we should see His hand there. In our sorrow God teaches us of Himself.
We suffer in our lives, but no suffering is experienced without God using it for His good purposes. The question becomes this... do we see Him working in our most dire circumstances? If we are attuned to the will of God in our lives we should acknowledge His plan for us, even in our misery... unless, of course, we are blinded to Him by our disbelief.
Today let’s contemplate how we can remain joyful in God while in the midst of our daily distresses. Let’s seek the source of our victory, certainty, and amazement during the trials and tribulations we face. Let’s try to understand how it is possible to feel comfort and joy in Jesus even when we are in the grips of staggering loss, or struggling through painful problems and dire crises.
Long before His coming the prophet’s foretold of the Messiah, and yet when He did come to them in Bethlehem, many didn’t repent of their sins nor acknowledge His presence as Emanuel… “God with us”. Now, in this modern age, have we returned once again to that same disbelief, and do we refuse to repent and turn back towards the truth as we should? Much like those who waited long ago for the Messiah to come to them, have we grown weary of waiting and turned our backs on Him too; have we refused to repent of our sins, and no longer acknowledge the presence of God, and His Holy Spirit? If so, we are like one who stands on the mountain, hears the voice of God, then turns to gaze into the valley below. We are missing the restoration that is coming when Jesus returns to resurrect us. Our lack of repentance reveals the lost nature of our souls, and by looking longingly at the easy path downhill rather than the climb ahead of us we deny our redemption and the joy that awaits us in it.
There are times when we will feel alone in our faith, and even among our brothers and sister in Christ we will feel this way. In these times we will be separated, and walk alone with God, or Jesus Christ. As we read the Bible stories regarding the great men of God we find that at some point in each of their lives of faith they were separated, and sent into isolation. But, in our time in the desert, on the mountain, in prisons, or banished to Patmos, we are never truly alone. We are with God, and in these seemingly lonely places He has our undivided attention. Do we know what it is like to be alone with God? Even in a crowd of people have we felt isolated from the world, and in such times didn’t He come to us? Hasn’t Jesus met us on the road to Emmaus and walked us through the scripture? Was His presence enough for us?