“BLESSING & SUFFERING”
By Pastor Don Nelson
In kindness and wisdom our Father permits us to experience pain for the sake of greater blessing. But what greater blessings are worth that hardship and loss?
Union with Jesus is worth the hardship.
In Mt. 16:24 Jesus says: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” This “cross” is the discipline of putting God first, loving others, striving for purity, and enduring worldly opposition.
However, the blessings of being united with Jesus far outweigh the costs. When many people stopped following him Jesus asked the Twelve {John 6:66-69} “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life… you are the Holy One of God.”
Union with Jesus is a greater blessing than situational happiness!
Resembling Jesus is worth the hardship.
Rom. 8:28 declares: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This is NOT a guarantee that every circumstance will turn out to our satisfaction. Rom. 8:29 explains the nature of “the good”: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” God’s priority is to use every experience to reshape us into the likeness of Jesus in attitude, thought, word and deed.
Resembling Jesus is a greater blessing than situational happiness!
Faithfulness to Jesus is worth the hardship.
In Jn. 15:18, Jesus warns: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” Later, Paul challenged Timothy: {2 Ti 1:8} “join me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” We are not yet subject to the extreme persecution faced by many of our brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world; but even here obedience to Christ is increasingly derided as intolerance, chauvinism, and bigotry. In many instances it is socially awkward to act upon our biblical convictions.
Faithfulness to the Lord is a greater blessing than situational happiness!
Future glory with Jesus is worth the hardship.
Jesus promises, in Mt. 16:25, that “whoever loses their life for me will find it.” {2 Ti 2:11, 12} “If we died with him, we will also live with him; endure, we will also reign with him.” Above all, consider Jesus: {Heb 12:2} “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The agony of the cross gave way to exaltation!
Future glory with Jesus is a greater blessing than situational happiness!
The LORD does not promise situational happiness. Yet union with Jesus, resembling Jesus, faithfulness to Jesus and future glory with Jesus are far better than comfortable circumstances. I urge us to choose the greater blessings!