TAT 146 The Joy of Suffering

On April 3, 2024   /   Joy, Suffering  

TAT 146 The Joy of Suffering

Whenever suffering comes into our lives some of us think about Job. God pointed Job out to Satan because Job was God’s faithful servant. There was no one like him on the earth, blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil (Job 1:8). Because he was the best of the best God allowed Satan to afflict him in order to settle a dispute between God and Satan (Job 1:9–11). So Satan went forth and killed all of Job’s children, took all of his businesses from him, and left him completely destitute (Job 1:13–19). After all this Job did not curse God he fell to the ground and worshiped God. He said “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:20– 21). Through all of this Job never sinned. Some of us also remember what Job said later: “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not except adversity?” (Job 2:10). But few of us remember what Job said later after the suffering reached its greats height: “Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” (Job 3:11). Job wished he had never been born! No matter how strong we are, each of us has a breaking point. But even when that breaking point is reached there is a single joy that stands above all others joys.

When the fires of their trials were the greatest three men experienced this joy (Daniel 3:25). After the LORD intervened in Job’s suffering, Job said: “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now my eyes see Thee;” and Paul said: “that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death;” (Philippians 3:10).

Yes, the single greatest joy that suffering can bring is a greater intimacy with our LORD Jesus Christ. There is Joy ahead of us all, let us not take our eyes off of that Joy.

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Happiness

On June 13, 2016   /   Character, Endurance, Joy  

Things Above Thought

TAT # 85 Happiness!

 

Much is being said, written about, preached on, televised, announced, blogged, and tweeted about how God wants Christians to be happy. It’s almost as if Christ came, suffered, and died to make us happy. But I wonder what made Paul so happy that he was –

 

imprisoned, beaten so many times the number is not recorded, in danger of death, given 195 lashes, beaten with rods three times, stoned, three times, shipwrecked and adrift for 24 hours,  frequently in dangers from natural disasters, robbers, Jews and Gentiles, and dangers in the city, the wilderness, on the sea, and even those clamming to be brethren but were not. He even labored with hardship through many sleepless nights, went hungry and thirsty, was often cold and exposed and on top of all that he lived with the daily pressure of concern for all the churches. (2 Cor. 11:23–28) ☺

 

And what made Christ soooo happy that He –

 

started His ministry not with an ordination ceremony and then a celebration and a parade but by spending 40 days alone in the desert without food and then tempted by the devil? After that He suffered rejection by His countrymen, His handpicked disciples, and the religious leaders of the religious system handed down by His Father. And if that were not enough He endured the shame and suffering of a trial by those same religious leaders and then the government also turned its back on Him and handed Him over to the worst death any human has ever faced. ☺

 

So what made them happy? How about –

 

. . . Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2 emphasis added)

 

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4 emphasis added)

 

Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. (Heb. 11:1 GWN emphasis added)

 

When God’s heavenly, eternal goals don’t make us happy we might need to spend a little more time with Paul and Christ. ☺

 

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