Suffering for the glory of God

November 3, 2010

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.

Romans 5:3-5

One of the most common questions I hear from believers and skeptics alike is "If God is good, then why do bad things happen to good people?" And it's true that people who are genuinely good-hearted will experience suffering in their life.

Furthermore, the Bible is clear that God doesn't just allow suffering; God is often the active agent in the trials of His faithful people. It was God who first told Satan about Job (Job 1:8), who would eventually have everything taken away from him, but would be proven faithful. God also gave Paul the opportunity to show his faithfulness through suffering so that he would be humbled and realize that God's grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

Many times when I hear testimonies from Christians, they follow this pattern: I was bad… God saved me… and now things are just terrific. But if you really get into the life of any faithful Christian, you'll see some level of suffering.

So when hard times come and God gives you a season of suffering, how will you suffer? Will you walk around bitter and angry because you never did anything to deserve this? Or, will you hear that same voice of God that spoke to Paul saying,

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Listen to the voice of God in the midst of your suffering and allow Him to lead you to a deeper relationship with Him.

WHEN HARD TIMES HIT, SUFFER WELL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. 


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MY GIFT TO YOU!

Straight Up

Dear Friend,

I sincerely hope you will request my 10-message series called Straight Up, where I tackle 10 tough questions we all face. Like "When Does Life Begin?" and "Can Love Last a Lifetime?", "Can You Trust the Bible?", and "Are All Religions the Same?"

After listening, you'll be more equipped to live a confident life, knowing the truth and trusting the promises of Christ! 

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