GLADNESS IN SUFFERING?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body, the church.

Colossians 1:24 NLT

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I have been doing ministry work for a long time and have been engaged with countless numbers of people who have been suffering from any number of life difficulties.

A multitude of disease afflictions, cancer being the most prominent.

Consistent struggles with finances.

Broken hearts from broken relationships.

Social biases and inequities.

Grief after loved ones pass away.

Even persecution for believing in Jesus as Savior.

Indeed, there are multitudes of people dealing with misery, anguish, and/or distress today, just as there has been since the dawn of mankind. No one is immune to it and therefore everyone will experience suffering in some form in their lifetime so we had better learn how to cope with it. Thankfully, we have the Word of God to help us but where the world would skew a person toward negative, pessimistic thoughts regarding their afflictions, the Bible encourages a different viewpoint.

Consider these words from Paul as we continue our study of his letters to the Christian believers in Colossae:

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body, the church. Colossians 1:24 NLT

When we become Christian, we are to trade in our worldly life for a new one, a life fully associated with Jesus. Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Corinthian believers:

...anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

This newness in Christ brings with it a new approach to our life experiences. For as we go through our Christian living, we are to be filled with joy as we go through the things Jesus did.

We’re to rejoice in the opportunity God has provided to serve others.

We’re to be thankful for the wisdom and power God grants to do His good works and carry out His will.

We’re to delight in every chance we have to make a difference in the lives of those who are considered the least, those who are marginalized by society.

And we’re to be glad when we suffer.

Yes, you read that last statement right. As Christians, we are to be glad when we suffer.

Now, this is completely counterintuitive to the way the world treats suffering but then again, Jesus is radically different from the world and when we choose to follow Him, we choose to be in the world but of Christ. We’re that new creation that Paul writes about and new means new.

Paul understood more than anyone that signing up for the Jesus experience meant that one was opting for everything Jesus went through, His joys and His sorrows. This is why he said that he was glad when he had to suffer for Jesus in his body because in doing so, he was sharing in the sufferings of his Savior.

Jesus suffered deeply for our sake. Our salvation didn’t come without a great cost. When we decide to believe in Him and be saved, we can’t expect that this Christian becoming will be one void of hardship and affliction. Rather, we can rejoice in knowing that our Savior suffered greatly, more than any suffering we will ever endure, to ensure we could one day join Him in glory and have eternal life.

Friends, there can be gladness in suffering if we adopt the attitude of Paul and give thanks for getting to experience just a fraction of what our Savior endured to bring us salvation.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com