Word of Encouragement (5/30/2020)
Yesterday, we saw trials as our spiritual medicines. But trials may be more than just medicines we take occasionally. Jesus said,
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18); “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34); “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Paul, too, said,
“…it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake…” (Phil. 1:29).
There is a sense that our Christian life can be characterized by suffering. It is not just suffering, of course. It can also be characterized by peace and joy as well. But, as long as we live in this world, our lives are tinged by suffering, especially as disciples of Christ (Mark 8:34).
I have a feeling that, if we can accept this simple fact, our Christian life will become much simpler. As the pastor in the film, “God is Not Dead,” said, “Christian life is hard. But it is simple.” The two statements are closely related. When we try to live our Christian life free of suffering (against what our Lord said in His Word), a lot of complications will arise in our Christian life. It would be like trying to fix a car without getting dirty or greasy. Can you imagine how difficult and complicated that would be? Not only that, we will shy away from doing the right thing for fear of suffering.
On the other hand, if we expect our Christian life to be “hard,” then we will not shy away from doing the right thing because it may lead to hardship and suffering. And if we do the right thing, even though we may suffer as a result, we will be able to experience a deeper joy that comes from doing the Lord’s will. And we will appreciate it so much more if the Lord should grant us a time of respite instead of taking it for granted.
Do you dread waking up in the morning because there are difficult things to deal with? Are there things that you are not doing because they are hard or you think they will lead to suffering? Did you expect to follow Christ without denying yourself and taking up the cross? Jesus showed us by His life that we must suffer first, as He did, before we can be glorified, as He was. “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:16-17). As long as we live in this world, we cannot avoid suffering. If so, should we not suffer for Christ, who will not fail to glorify us with Him?