“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV)
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT)
“Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:28-31 NKJV)
Time to wrap up this series on suffering. We poured suffering into four buckets…
…Sufferings OF Christ;
“Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS [crucified] ON A TREE (cross)” (Galatians 3:13 AMP)
…Sufferings FROM Christ;
“Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:9-11 ESV)
…Suffering WITH Christ;
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:20 NKJV)
…Suffering FOR Christ.
“For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:5 NLT)
Moving forward it is my hope and prayer that we will grow in wisdom and understanding when it comes to discerning the suffering that we are faced with. It is vital to my growth and well being that I learn to discern the source and function of the pain, struggle, and difficulty that I experience. I need to ask myself…
…Is this current suffering from my Father, from the enemy, or self-inflicted?
…Is this pain that I need to endure, embrace, or resist (stand against)?
…Is this pain that could have been avoided? How?
If I am not able to answer these questions then I have a source of help…
…”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5 ESV)
As I grow in my ability to discern suffering I will begin to minimize needless pain in my life and maximize beneficial pain.
What I love best about all of this is that I can rest in knowing that regardless of where I am in my growth process I have a Father that will take everything that I go through (good or bad, needless or beneficial, from my Father, the enemy, or myself) and turn it into something that is for my good. He will turn whatever is meant to harm me into something that benefits my life and the lives of those around me…
…”You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened.” (Genesis 50:20 GNT)
Keep on growing with…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 417: Discerned Suffering: Conclusion