Sharing in Suffering

Last night was our mid-week worship service. Our pastor talked about "Sharing in suffering". 


In 2 Timothy 2:3 "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." As Christians, we are are like soldiers. We fight and we struggle. We talked about how Life of a Christian is a battle. Warren Wiersbe puts it graphically, "The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground." Another writer puts it this way, "For the Christian, the world is an arena, not an armchair." Yes, the Christian life is a warfare; we live in enemy territory.


On the other hand, suffering is not new to the Christians, In point of face, it is part of our calling. One wrote that, Life is difficult and it's the reality. We cannot change that, and the only solution to this is to accept that life is for a fact difficult. By Accepting this, it lessens your emotional stress. In your suffering God hears you and when you feel like the Lord is not answering your prayers, that doesn't mean he has taken you for granted or has left you. Suffering has a purpose in our life. Like what I wrote in my previous blog, it is developing us and toughing us and it is required  to shape us for the future. It is required for developing maturity. 


Patience = Long suffering. 


Patience is to endure suffering in a Lords way. Our pastor gave an example of long suffering Like Nelson Mandela, when he was imprisoned for 27 years. After getting out from prison, he was still able to forgive those people who put him to jail. My example is Joseph (the bible). He had so many struggles in life....long suffering from his brothers, traded to Egypt, put to prison... but in the end God prospered him.


Suffering is part of the will of the Lord in our lives. But don't get it wrong..that all sufferings are from God. Sometimes we suffer cause of our own liability. We suffer when we make wrong decisions but it is God who measures it.


For those who answer the call of God's love, the way of suffering may be the way of life, and that is the ultimate purpose of the existence of suffering in the world. The call is still going out; there is still opportunity for all who are looking for hope beyond this present evil world, to find it in the 'good news' of the Gospel.


Blessings to All!