THE STRASBURG CHURCH OF CHRIST
Strasburg, VA
Let us restore New Testament Christianity!
THE STRASBURG CHURCH OF CHRIST
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Do you have a BIBLE QUESTION? Send it to us here. We will do our best to give you an answer from God's word. Prayers are requested for Trent Wiliams, a little 7 year old boy. Trent was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumer a little over a year ago. After a year of surgery and treatments, he was determined to be cancer free. However, this month five more tumers were found on his brain and spinal cord. He needs our prayers! How Can Suffering Be Good For You?January 29, 2012 Last week: Why Is There Suffering In The World? We have previously dealt with the problem of suffering, and the question of why there is so much suffering in the world. We noted that God is a sovereign God, and it is not ours to ask why He does what he does, or allows what He allows. Rather than asking why there is so much suffering, we should ask God "How?" how can we get strength from God and learn to deal with our suffering while trusting in His sovereignty and justness?" It may be hard to believe at times, but there are actually benefits to be gained from suffering! What are some of these benefits? First, suffering teaches us that we are frail human beings, not God. Some people are arrogant enough to believe that they are God, or least act like they believe that. They snub God's laws, and often the laws of the land, and other rules, as if they are smarter than God or any one else. But suffering teaches us that we are not God. Suffering causes us to be humble. It is hard to be haughty when you are hurting! Second, Suffering can draw our interests toward God. When one suffers,it is natural for him to turn to something higher for help. God is there to fulfill that role! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." See also Romanss 15:5, NKJV. Sometimes when a person has begun to forget God and turn his attentions toward worldly matters, suffering can revert his attention to God. David was a man of much suffering, particularly at the hands of "ungodly men." Read Psalms 18:3-6. In verse 6 he says, "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears." Third, suffering can help us to see the the gruesomeness of sin. Sin came into the world with the sin of the first couple (Genesis 3). Paul writes "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). With sin came the suffering that sin causes, including the suffering often accompanying death. Suffering ought to remind us of how terrible sin is. And when we suffer, we can take comfort in the comfort that God gives, and share that comfor with others who suffer (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). If we suffer because of our own sin, we can take comfot in God's forgiveness. Fourth, Suffering aids us is seeing the real worth of things. When one experiences extreme suffering, especially if it is to the point of death, he looks at the world in a different light. Suddenly small things become big. He notices God's creation more than before. He shows a greater appreciation for loved ones. He begins to show a greater interest in serving God, helping his fellow man. Etc. He begins to see his real priorities. Fifth, Suffering prepares us to be compassionent to others. Experiencing suffering helps us to help others who suffer. Paul writes in Hebrews 2:18, NKJV, "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." Jesus experienced suffering so that He could be qualified to be our High Priest. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). When we suffer, it makes us qualified to help others who suffer. Sixth, Suffering sharpens our awareness that Earth is not our permanent home. We are here temporarily. As Peter writes, we are "strangers and pilgrems" (1 Peter 2:11).In the midst of a chapter filled with examples of those in Old Testament time who suffered inmeasurably, looking for a a "better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (Hebrews 11:16), Paul writes, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13). That "city" that they were looking for is Heaven. We, too, look for that city. Paul writes in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." In other words, no matter how much we may suffer here, Heaven will make it worth it all! Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:1, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." So, when this life is over, with its suffering, we have an eternal home where there is no suffering! The Old hymn, "This World Is Not My Home," expresses this truth well. The first stanza and chorus go like this: "This world in not my home, I'm just a passing through; (Continued on page 2). Follow @ljbost John Bost | Create Your Badge 
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