Tag: suffering

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CrucifixionThe scripture for today, October 28 (10/28), is Matthew 10:28f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.”

This scripture indicates that sometimes God’s allows us to “fall to the ground” ~ our bodies suffer, or we are killed. How can that be? After all, God is so loving. Surely a good God would not allow any harm to come to someone if he truly loves them.

But we all have our assignment from God in this war between Good and Evil. Just as Job in the Old Testament lost his entire family and entire wealth and then his health, he refused to blame God. He even said, “Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” (Job 2:10).

Satan causes bad to happen to us. Why? In order to get us to blame God for it. Our assignment is to refuse to deny God. That way, Satan loses one more battle, and God wins one more.

There is an old Christian song called “Victory in Jesus.” How can we have victory in Jesus if we do not have something to be victorious over? Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors. How can we be conquerors if we have nothing to conquer?

Let us say with James (1:2) that we consider it pure joy whenever we face trials. Hard to say? Of course, it is. But it could turn your life around.

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The scripture for today, September 22 (9/22) is Luke 9:22 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“And he [Jesus] said, ‘The Son of Man[kind] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Jesus did not look forward to his death. Hebrews 5:7 says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death….” Loud cries!

Yet, in today’s scripture, shortly after he announced to his apostles that he would be killed in Jerusalem, over in verse 51 it says, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”

Jesus had to use every bit of self-determination he could muster up to face that terrible death he had to suffer for us. What kept him to his goal? He knew he would be saving us from our sins by taking our punishment for us. Then his work would be done ~ all would be fulfilled ~ and he could return to heaven and his Father.

Is it difficult for you to get up on Sunday morning to go to church? Is it difficult for you to read the Bible every day? Is it difficult for you to invite a friend to church with you? Do you love Jesus as resolutely as he loves you?

The scripture for today, June 9 (6/9), is Job 6:9-8 found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Oh that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!”

Job was suffering terribly.  The Bible says he had sores all over his body.  There were other symptoms listed elsewhere in Job that indicate he had a form of leprosy.  Now he just wanted to die.

When we get into a life problem that seems hopeless, do we just give up and say, “God, I can’t go on like this.  Just take my life right now.  It’s too hard.  I can’t do it any more.”?

God knows what you are going through.  God knows that Satan is attacking you.  When things are desperately low, your job is just to hang on.  It often takes God time to shift around a lot of other people’s lives in order to alleviate your pain.

Remember, God hurts just as much when you suffer as when he watched his own Son suffer on the cross.  His Son’s suffering accomplished something wonderful for others.  So too, some day your suffering will somehow in some way accomplish something good.  And ultimately, just by surviving, Satan loses and God wins.

This too will pass.  You may not think so, but it will.  You may think you will never smile again, never want to go around people again, never sing again.  But you will.  Just like Job did.

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The scripture for today, May 16 (5/16), is 1st Thessalonians 5:16 (KJV) as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Rejoice evermore.”

But how can we rejoice when something terrible has happened?  The Apostle Paul who wrote this knew that the Thessalonians were being persecuted (2nd Thessalonians 1:4), but he still said, “Rejoice evermore.”  Sometimes we have to suffer so that the bad someone does can be revealed to others.  

Just remember that, just as God was grieved when his Son suffered on the cross, he is grieved when we suffer.  And just as God was able to bring something wonderful out of his Son’s suffering, he can bring something wonderful out of yours too.

In the mean time, chin up, shoulders back, stand straight, be brave, and smile.  The world will ask you why.

The scripture for today, May 10, is 1st Peter 5:10f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“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 and firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever.”

This earth is not meant to be our paradise, to be our eternal home.  This earth is just the foyer.  God stands at the door to heaven and calls us.  But are we too busy watching over things here to look over at his door?  Are we too caught up with temporary things of this world to stop and listen for God?

Is there too much noise in our life?  The noise of problems with job, our home, our family, our government, our neighbors, our health?  Remember, we are only in the foyer.  Life is not always easy.  Do we have the stamina to not be side tracked?  Do we have the fortitude to keep walking toward his door?

God can make us strong and firm and steadfast  ~ if we will stop the noise and listen for him.  God can make us strong and firm and steadfast ~ if we keep our eyes on his door.

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