"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this
all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are
hard pressedon every side, but notcrushed; perplexed, ut not in
despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down,
but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
The longer I live, the more I come to understand that freedom and suffering usually go hand in hand. Take for instance, the freedom that we will celebrate on Wednesday. Independence Day. The 4th of July! We celebrate our country’s freedoms, but one cannot truly appreciate the value of the freedoms we have without understanding that suffering was involved in gaining that freedom for us.
I’m coming to understand that suffering will always be a part of our earthly existence. Suffering comes from several sources: we may suffer as a result of our sin or of others sin, or, the most difficult to accept, our suffering may come from the hand of the Lord. Whatever the source, we are sure that Scripture teaches us that suffering is a part of God’s plan to mold us and shape us into all that He is creating us to be. It is a tool to cause us to hold loosely to the things of this earth and to help us yearn for Him and for "Home"!
When you boil it down, every great thing was born out of someone else’s suffering. How so? Well, for example, in order to perform the first heart transplant someone had to die! Braille was created and is a help to the blind today because someone lost their sight. We would never be able to receive eternal life were it not for the suffering of our Savior.
Consider this:
"Out of Great Tribulation – No words can express how
much the world owes to sorrow. Most of the Psalms
were born in a wilderness. Most of the Epistles were
written in a prison. The greatest thoughts of the
greatest thinkers have all passed through fire.
The greatest poets have "learned in suffering
What they have taught in song." In bonds Bunyan lived
The allegory that he afterwards indited, and we may thank
Bedford Jail for the Pilgrim’s Progress. Take comfort,
Afflicted Christian! When God is about to make
much the world owes to sorrow. Most of the Psalms
were born in a wilderness. Most of the Epistles were
written in a prison. The greatest thoughts of the
greatest thinkers have all passed through fire.
The greatest poets have "learned in suffering
What they have taught in song." In bonds Bunyan lived
The allegory that he afterwards indited, and we may thank
Bedford Jail for the Pilgrim’s Progress. Take comfort,
Afflicted Christian! When God is about to make
pre-eminent use of a man,
He puts him in the fire. (MacDonald)
He puts him in the fire. (MacDonald)
Pastor MJ
No comments:
Post a Comment