Consider it all joy....For your momentary light affliction (troubles) are producing (building) an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison....2 Cor. 4: 17
And the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever...1 Peter 5:10
Suffering! Nobody wants it, yet everyone experiences it. Suffering comes to us physically, or emotionally, or mentally, or financially; we all must deal with it in each of these ways at sometime. There is no one in this world who doesn't experience one of these, and probably more than one, at any given time in their life. And every time suffering, in the form, of adversity and trials, hits, we have a choice, how are we going to respond? How are we going to choose to handle the adversity.
For myself I have learned I have two major choices. One is to listen to what the world says will "fix" the problem, or to listen to what God says about troubles and woes in this life and what I am to do about them, His way. Answers are what we seek wisdom for. Our choices are what we decide wisdom is and how to apply it.
The world so called wisdom tells us that when we are suffering, we must get out of it any way we can. Take a pill, drink a drink, watch a movie, buy some item we don't really need. Just do something that we think will gives us relief and pleasure at the moment. The sad thing I have learned and many others like me is that even if we are able to get relief at the time, there will be another adversity, trial, woe, somewhere along our path again. An this time the momentary relief may not come.
Some adversity, such as living with chronic pain that cannot be relieved, or loosing someone we love to death or divorce, must be endured. We may not be able to find a way out of it. Yet instinctively we will continue to try. It's instinctive! It's survival. It's the way we are wired.
But what I want to offer here is another way to deal with the sufferings of life that we all must endure. Gods ways, which are not our worldly was to manage things, yet are the most beneficial.
There is absolutely nothing that we as men and woman face that God has not address in His written
Word, the Bible.
Scripture tells us that when we are suffering God will be with us in our suffering. HE will strengthen us, give us grace to endure and never, never, leave us to endure alone. He promises to His children that the suffering we are going through has purpose and if we respond in His wisdom He will work it for good, always. This is difficult when we are in the midst of pain and all we can think of is to get it gone.
What I'm trying to say is that being one who knows I am not going to find total relief from pain as long as I am alive in this world, I am also learning that I can find the ONE who knows more about enduring pain and suffering as a human being than anyone else who ever lived.
Jesus suffered. He suffered crucifixion and death. He endured these, so He knows what I feel when I am suffering in my physical body. And the wonderful thing is because He does He can also offer me what it takes to endure any suffering this side of eternity. He himself living within me. Strengthen me with His strength, comforting me with His comfort, and loving, me with His love.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can and will walk with us through all the suffering and tragedy of this world. And He alone is the only answer we have to the next world, no matter what the rest of the world tells us. Gods Word is true. We can bank our lives now on the promises He gives and that's exactly how I have hope and endurance and even a sense of joy. Not emotional joy, but deep down joy, which can also be expressed as confidence that He will do exactly what He says He will do. I have experience it myself over and over and over. At the darkest times of my life HE gives me hope, strength and courage to "keep on keeping on" because I can trust Him.
The love and life of Jesus Christ is the answer to suffering. There is no other love like His. Only with His very Presence in and through me can I endure and come out victorious in the end. And for those of you who read this He can and will do the same for you if you allow Him too.
Thank You precious Lord that You know and care when we suffer. Thank You that You carry the scars and stripes that have set us free eternally to live with you in heaven. And that You will carry us through any suffering we endure here on earth until we come home. How dear and wonderful the love you have for all the world and all of those in it. Thank You Jesus for Your love beyond anything we can image. May those who read these words come to know the joy even in suffering that is in a relationship with You, because Your Word says in Your right hand are the joys...
And the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever...1 Peter 5:10
Suffering! Nobody wants it, yet everyone experiences it. Suffering comes to us physically, or emotionally, or mentally, or financially; we all must deal with it in each of these ways at sometime. There is no one in this world who doesn't experience one of these, and probably more than one, at any given time in their life. And every time suffering, in the form, of adversity and trials, hits, we have a choice, how are we going to respond? How are we going to choose to handle the adversity.
For myself I have learned I have two major choices. One is to listen to what the world says will "fix" the problem, or to listen to what God says about troubles and woes in this life and what I am to do about them, His way. Answers are what we seek wisdom for. Our choices are what we decide wisdom is and how to apply it.
The world so called wisdom tells us that when we are suffering, we must get out of it any way we can. Take a pill, drink a drink, watch a movie, buy some item we don't really need. Just do something that we think will gives us relief and pleasure at the moment. The sad thing I have learned and many others like me is that even if we are able to get relief at the time, there will be another adversity, trial, woe, somewhere along our path again. An this time the momentary relief may not come.
Some adversity, such as living with chronic pain that cannot be relieved, or loosing someone we love to death or divorce, must be endured. We may not be able to find a way out of it. Yet instinctively we will continue to try. It's instinctive! It's survival. It's the way we are wired.
But what I want to offer here is another way to deal with the sufferings of life that we all must endure. Gods ways, which are not our worldly was to manage things, yet are the most beneficial.
There is absolutely nothing that we as men and woman face that God has not address in His written
Word, the Bible.
Scripture tells us that when we are suffering God will be with us in our suffering. HE will strengthen us, give us grace to endure and never, never, leave us to endure alone. He promises to His children that the suffering we are going through has purpose and if we respond in His wisdom He will work it for good, always. This is difficult when we are in the midst of pain and all we can think of is to get it gone.
What I'm trying to say is that being one who knows I am not going to find total relief from pain as long as I am alive in this world, I am also learning that I can find the ONE who knows more about enduring pain and suffering as a human being than anyone else who ever lived.
Jesus suffered. He suffered crucifixion and death. He endured these, so He knows what I feel when I am suffering in my physical body. And the wonderful thing is because He does He can also offer me what it takes to endure any suffering this side of eternity. He himself living within me. Strengthen me with His strength, comforting me with His comfort, and loving, me with His love.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can and will walk with us through all the suffering and tragedy of this world. And He alone is the only answer we have to the next world, no matter what the rest of the world tells us. Gods Word is true. We can bank our lives now on the promises He gives and that's exactly how I have hope and endurance and even a sense of joy. Not emotional joy, but deep down joy, which can also be expressed as confidence that He will do exactly what He says He will do. I have experience it myself over and over and over. At the darkest times of my life HE gives me hope, strength and courage to "keep on keeping on" because I can trust Him.
The love and life of Jesus Christ is the answer to suffering. There is no other love like His. Only with His very Presence in and through me can I endure and come out victorious in the end. And for those of you who read this He can and will do the same for you if you allow Him too.
Thank You precious Lord that You know and care when we suffer. Thank You that You carry the scars and stripes that have set us free eternally to live with you in heaven. And that You will carry us through any suffering we endure here on earth until we come home. How dear and wonderful the love you have for all the world and all of those in it. Thank You Jesus for Your love beyond anything we can image. May those who read these words come to know the joy even in suffering that is in a relationship with You, because Your Word says in Your right hand are the joys...
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