Tag: suffering

Who Am I?

What have I done to deserve this?! Why are all these things happening to me?! I prayed daily for my wife and family. I took care of all which the Lord provided for me. I served as a good example for my children to follow. Lord, why am I suffering so much? Why did I lose all of my possessions? Why did you take the lives of all my children? Why is my wife speaking nonsense? Why are my friends accusing me of sin? What are these sores all over my skin? Father, you know I’ve been faithful and diligent in my service to you. I do not understand the reason for my suffering but, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…”

Wisdom Beyond This Point!

Proverbs 4:7

How did you arrive at your point of suffering? Were your hard times the cause of someone else’s doing, or do you spend your days in regret, contemplating on the choices you should not have made? While many today endure troublesome times, some suffer more, from the works of their own hands. Life will inevitability bring us into difficult seasons, but let’s not assist in making our days unnecessarily harder, by making the wrong choices. Let’s learn to use wisdom in all our doings, in order to avoid senseless suffering.

“Once To Die…”

Hebrews 9:24-28

Every person you know, including yourself, will someday suffer a physical death. While the thought of dying in this earth oftentimes cause some to faint, we can rest assured that Christ made it possible for us to not have to endure spiritual death. Our hope and confidence rest in the fact that Jesus not only took care of our past, but our present and future are eternally secure as well. While we strive to live holy in an unholy world, we can trust in the Spirit of God to help us overcome all manner of evil and temptation. While it is appointed unto all men to die, our physical death will be the beginning of our spiritual eternity.

Why Me Lord?

Lamentations 5

“A high calling, associated with low living, results in deep suffering.” God has called His people to live holy, and walk according to His way. Unfortunately, many who professed holiness have been living beneath the way of righteousness. As a result of consistent disobedience and unholy living, many who make up the church, have found themselves in unfavorable situations. Men suffer for many reasons, but when they deliberately disobey the words of the Lord, they’ll undoubtedly welcome suffering in their lives. The prophet Jeremiah lived during a time when the people of God reaped the punishment from the sins of their fathers, and they had reached a point of intense grief and guilt. The sins of those who came before them had finally caught up with the children of Zion, but God was always paying close attention to their situation. Jeremiah realized the severity of sin, and how the mere act of disobedience kindles the wrath of the Father, but we learn in Micah 7:18, “He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” Although God hates sin, and oftentimes brings chastisement for it, He still has love for His people, and will restore them, after they have repented and turned back to following after righteousness.

Eternal Inheritance

Romans 8:14-25

An heir is someone who is legally entitled to the property, or title of another, upon that person’s death. An heir also inherits and continues the legacy of one who preceded him or her. Typically, gaining an inheritance requires no work, and the beneficiary receives all claims after the death of the predecessor. As children of God, believers are heirs to the Father, and joint-heirs with Christ. The Greek word ‘heirs’, klēronomeō, means a receiver of an inheritance, or beneficiary. If we are children of God, then we are receivers of His inheritance as well. In the same way the child of a wealthy parent does nothing to receive what’s left for them except live to accept it, the inheritance we possess in Christ, is not based on works either. Although the children of God must endure suffering, as Christ did (to some capacity), their groans and toils will soon be rewarded with the adoption, and redemption of their bodies. All who are in Christ Jesus will someday be changed from mortality, to immortality, then all God’s people will spend eternity enjoying the wonderful inheritance of God their Father.

Just A Touch

Luke 8:42-48

Have you ever struggled, dealing with a physical or mental condition for about a week or two? I can only imagine, whatever it was you dealt with brought only misery and headaches, while you prayed fervently for God to relieve you of your condition, and bring healing to your body, and peace to your mind. The moment your issue was fully removed, I’m apt to believe you felt a sense of joy, the likes of which you haven’t felt in a long time.  Now, take a moment to revisit that temporary condition, and imagine suffering with it for 12 years! Yeah, 12 looooooong years. This was the case with the woman in our text.

For 12 years, the Bible mentions this woman had an issue of blood, that could not be resolved by conventional means. After spending all her money on medical treatments with multiple physicians, the woman’s condition only grew worse! I can’t even begin to fathom how this woman felt, while going through a seemingly endless season of suffering. After placing all her trust in those who were trained to study and understand the human body, the woman’s faith in physicians had no doubt run out.

One day, the woman who had a suffered a physical ailment for over 4,000 days, heard about Jesus. The Scriptures aren’t descriptive on what she heard, or who she heard it from, but whatever she was told, was enough to move her to seek this Jesus.

Jesus had just returned from casting a legion of devils from a man on the other side of the sea, and was greeted by a great crowd of people, who were awaiting His return. As the crowd continued to swell around Jesus, the woman with the issue of blood arrived, then pressed her way through to get to Jesus. She said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” That’s what you call faith in action. The woman had no other options to turn to, because everyone and everything she tried failed. But, the instant she touched the border of Jesus’ garment, the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Twelve dreadful years of excruciating pain and suffering, was gone in an instant! Not only was the woman astonished, but the Son of God literally felt virtue leave His body, after the woman’s touch. It was the woman’s faith that made her whole, and Jesus was pleased to see another body and soul healed by the power of God.

While we may not have a similar condition as the woman in our lesson, we too struggle with other things that seem to weigh us down. The power of God is still relevant today, as it was during the time when Jesus walked the earth, but the key to overcoming our struggles is, placing all our faith, trust, and confidence in the power of God, knowing that He alone can deliver us, and free us from all that we may experience in our earthly bodies.