![]() The Passage: “We Rejoice in Our Sufferings” (5:3-5) So when you think about how you have suffered and are suffering, can you in some way relate with what we might call Paul's “trials of various kinds”? Turn with me to Romans 5! And in the next chapter (II Corinthians 12), Paul goes on to speak about a physical condition under which he suffered. But he also talks about labors and lack, about accidents and anxiety. (II Corinthians 11:23-28)ĭid you hear that? Paul is describing “trials of various kinds”, isn't he? Yes, he talks a lot about persecution for his faith. ![]() And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I was adrift at sea on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Well, listen to how Paul describes his sufferings. (James 1:2) So what might this mean.“trials of various kinds”? Listen to what James, the half-brother of Jesus, says about suffering: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. You may conclude, “In most cases, I am not suffering like those are persecuted.therefore, the Bible does not speak to what I am going through.”īut that conclusion would be absolutely wrong. And to be clear, the Bible has plenty to say about that kind of suffering.īut when they.when you think about how you have suffered and are suffering, you may be tempted to think 'apples and oranges'. What I mean is that when some Christians hear the Bible speak of “suffering”, they automatically think of suffering for one's beliefs at the hands of those who do not believe. Sometimes when we open the Bible and talk about suffering, there is a kind of 'apples and oranges' danger. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.DOWNLOAD the Resource Sheet for the Lesson (PDF)! I can rejoice in my sufferings and thank God for his perfect wisdom and endless love! Romans 5:3-5 Now I know that if God can carry me through 3 1/2 months of torture, he will carry me through anything. #Suffering produces endurance free#I am not 100% itch free but SO much better. In suffering-I found great joy in the Lord and his presence. I grew closer to God and am thankful for the suffering as I learned to rely on him more. I leaned on the Lord every minute of every day to get through. I cried to the Lord for healing and begged him for mercy but it didn’t come in my time but in his time. I repeatedly read Job and remembered his suffering and strength. I didn’t know how I was going to get through the torture. I told my doctor it would have felt better to jump in battery acid. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t get a break from it, and was miserable. ![]() For 3 months I have been covered in a head to toe Beyond itchy rash/hives. It turns out – I am violently allergic to chemo. Well, three weeks turned into 3 1/2 months of an unbearable, torturous and intolerable rash. In my last post I had been itching for 3 weeks. Today I am reflecting on my journey thus far. Three trips a week that lasted all day with a 3 hour round trip has me quite exhausted. I haven’t wrote as much as I would have liked to. ![]()
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