Sharing In Your Suffering

D

Dusty

Inactive
Sharing In Your Suffering

I often think why do we have to suffer in this world ? Some more than others . Why do we experience extreme pain , sickness , brokenness , death of loved ones , separation of family , and spouses , divorce and handicaps .

Yes , we live in a fallen world – a world of sin but our Saviour came all for us .

The verse in Philippians 3: 10 ….. says …. ....I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

I was reading something from Joni Erickson Tada that puts a lot of this in prospective . She has been in a wheelchair for more than 30 years and never complains and writes beautiful poetry and books and has been an inspiration to many .

She says and I quote

The more troublesome life was in that wheelchair , the more I leaned on You . The more I leaned on You Lord , the stronger I discovered You to be .The affliction was light and momentary compared to the privilege it was to share in fellowship of your sufferings . You died for sin , I died to sin , and that’s how I became like You in Your death .

And if I had not been paralyzed , I don’t think I would have cared about such stuff .

But Lord , in the process of sharing in Your suffering I became much closer to You . I felt Your strength . I was able to reveal to others your smile , and miraculously , my heart beat in rhythm to Yours . “
Click to expand...


After reading this , I am more committed to serving You Jesus , no matter what comes my way .

Footnote : When I was on my mission trips ; I always remembered the missionary when we started to complain about the heat and being tired etc. He would say " Suffering for Jesus.
 
A question I pose for you all .

What do you think : Is suffering an essential part of our faith ? Is pain and suffering necessary in our faith ?

My thought is that the pain and suffering that I have been through made me more dependent on the Lord and when we are in the midst of our deepest moment and cry our to God , we feel His comfort and blessing and His closeness . So for me , I think it is necessary for spiritual growth .

I think all of us can relate in different ways .
 
I like what Joni says up there. It's like, people who have actually been through the same thing are in a greater position to understand how difficult that particular circumstance can be. We do have fellowship with Christ. Christ has fellowship with us because he suffered for serving God. In addition to dying for our sins, He came to Earth for the very purpose of communing with us. That's why he preached amongst the prostitutes, tax collectors, the sick, etc--all people who had been through some pretty bad things, people who had experienced public ridicule. He suffered too, like they did, and like we do.

In Matthew 7:14, Jesus said that the gate is small and the road is narrow when you're going with God. On a tiny, winding mountain road, it's perilous. You'll suffer difficulty breathing as you go up in altitude. You'll have to lose some people because at some point it's only wide enough to go one by one. You'll get tired too, but think about what fellowship is waiting for you on the other side of the gate--and what stories you'll have to share as you commune with your brothers and sisters on the other side!
 
Dusty said:
A question I pose for you all .

What do you think : Is suffering an essential part of our faith ? Is pain and suffering necessary in our faith ?

My thought is that the pain and suffering that I have been through made me more dependent on the Lord and when we are in the midst of our deepest moment and cry our to God , we feel His comfort and blessing and His closeness . So for me , I think it is necessary for spiritual growth .

I think all of us can relate in different ways .
Click to expand...

Yes . a christian walk without suffering is a gospel story without a cross . no death, no resurrection . no glory to God .
 
Michael Collum said:
Yes . a christian walk without suffering is a gospel story without a cross . no death, no resurrection . no glory to God .
Click to expand...

So true , Michael . When we die to our old ways and our sin we take up the cross of Jesus and we also take on His suffering that He did for us .

I also wanted to ask this question as well about suffering .... Why do you think that some people suffer more than others ? . Do you think it is because the Lord has giiven them an extra dose of strength and they can also be a witness to others who are going through the same circumstance ?
 
Naturallinguist ... Yes that impacted me as well what Joni said . If any one has been through trials , it is her and yet she is not bitter about her paralysis but makes it into a blessing and is doing a wonderful work for the Lord .

Jesus said that the gate is small and the road is narrow when you're going with God. On a tiny, winding mountain road, it's perilous. You'll suffer difficulty breathing as you go up in altitude. You'll have to lose some people because at some point it's only wide enough to go one by one. You'll get tired too, but think about what fellowship is waiting for you on the other side of the gate--and what stories you'll have to share as you commune with your brothers and sisters on the other side!
Click to expand...

Won't that be a wonderful day . What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see . When I look upon His face . , the one who saved me by His grace .

 
Dusty said:
So true , Michael . When we die to our old ways and our sin we take up the cross of Jesus and we also take on His suffering that He did for us .

I also wanted to ask this question as well about suffering .... Why do you think that some people suffer more than others ? . Do you think it is because the Lord has giiven them an extra dose of strength and they can also be a witness to others who are going through the same circumstance ?
Click to expand...

I reckon we suffer as much as we need to . for that exact purpose Dusty .

then again .. i'm just crazy . i ask for it . no God . me instead . set them free .
 
REJOICE IN SUFFERING??? "

...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
 
Yeah Paul was a nut job too . but he was my kind of nut job .

Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (2nd Corinthians 11:29)

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:8-11)
 
Michael Collum said:
Thank you InHisLove :)
Click to expand...

yourewyky.gif
 
Rom 8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The scripture below speaks of persecution...I believe the same goes for suffering. If The Lord had to suffer so much for us, should it not be reasonable that we too should suffer because ..we the servants are no greater than our Master.

John 15:20
Remember the word that I said to you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
 
The scripture below speaks of persecution...I believe the same goes for suffering. If The Lord had to suffer so much for us, should it not be reasonable that we too should suffer because ..we the servants are no greater than our Master.
Click to expand...

Thanks..... HeisallIneed ... very good point . There is of course a lot of people who do not believe that way and think we all should be healed but like you I still think that while here on earth , we do have suffering and hard times and that is the precourser to our heavenly home where we will be praising and thanking our Lord for His mercy and His grace. Of course , we thank Him here as well for His mercies and grace as well , don't get me wrong here ..
 
I agree that there is no growth without suffering, trials, storms and tribulations. That is why Jesus says to rejoice when we go through our storms. Going through storms, trials, etc. increases faith, builds character and dependency on God. Just like I told a person here on the forum, when God brings you through a storm, where do you go the next time a storm comes? You go right back to God..The one who bought you through the last storm. God wants us to depend on Him, trust Him, believe He will do what He says He will do. So, yes the storms are a necessay part of human life to have a victorious life in Christ.
 
godbe4me said:
I agree that there is no growth without suffering, trials, storms and tribulations. That is why Jesus says to rejoice when we go through our storms. Going through storms, trials, etc. increases faith, builds character and dependency on God. Just like I told a person here on the forum, when God brings you through a storm, where do you go the next time a storm comes? You go right back to God..The one who bought you through the last storm. God wants us to depend on Him, trust Him, believe He will do what He says He will do. So, yes the storms are a necessay part of human life to have a victorious life in Christ.
Click to expand...

Amen Godbe4me . how can we grow in the Lord if we do not have the security that comes with trust . And now I remember a little S. S. song .... Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey ...

He he ..... they say when you become a senior you are in your second childhood ..... Yay , I love being a child LOL
 
Michael Collum said:
I reckon we suffer as much as we need to . for that exact purpose Dusty .

then again .. i'm just crazy . i ask for it . no God . me instead . set them free .
Click to expand...

I don't think you are crazy ..... maybe crazy for Jesus but I would definately not ask for sickness or afflictions to be put on me . If we have prayed for others , then Christ will set them free . All we have to do is our part and trust and believe and it shall come to pass.
There is freedom in Christ .

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
 
Dusty said:
I don't think you are crazy ..... maybe crazy for Jesus but I would definately not ask for sickness or afflictions to be put on me . If we have prayed for others , then Christ will set them free . All we have to do is our part and trust and believe and it shall come to pass.
There is freedom in Christ .

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dusty,

hey it doesn't stay here that long .. whatever loads on .. i surrender it so the next wave can come on in .. there's a passive and active element to it . the active part is when i just can't stand seeing another person suffer or it's an emergency and they're just freaking out and need to calm down . the passive part is just being the point of least resistance and excess psychological energy drifting my way .

i don't really understand it but .. i guess i've learned how to live with it and turn it into an endless prayer exercise .

i just find myself looking at how it makes the bible come to life .. and also how this in every way transcends all that new age stuff i remember people talking about in the 90s .
 
Michael Collum said:
Thanks Dusty,

hey it doesn't stay here that long .. whatever loads on .. i surrender it so the next wave can come on in .. there's a passive and active element to it . the active part is when i just can't stand seeing another person suffer or it's an emergency and they're just freaking out and need to calm down . the passive part is just being the point of least resistance and excess psychological energy drifting my way .

i don't really understand it but .. i guess i've learned how to live with it and turn it into an endless prayer exercise .

i just find myself looking at how it makes the bible come to life .. and also how this in every way transcends all that new age stuff i remember people talking about in the 90s .
Click to expand...

That's the best way , Michael cause when we surrender it all to Jesus it takes the burden off of us cause we know that He is handling it .

No one can stand to see a person suffer if they love Jesus and that is a natural sign of Him living in us .

As far as that New Age stuff it is still around and there are many famous people promoting it on TV . If people don't know any better they fall for it cause it sounds good ... more of satans lies.
 
Dusty said:
That's the best way , Michael cause when we surrender it all to Jesus it takes the burden off of us cause we know that He is handling it .

No one can stand to see a person suffer if they love Jesus and that is a natural sign of Him living in us .

As far as that New Age stuff it is still around and there are many famous people promoting it on TV . If people don't know any better they fall for it cause it sounds good ... more of satans lies.
Click to expand...

I know . i mean some people may be thinking, "yeah like the new age stuff in the 70's and snake oil salesmen and charlatans throughout the ages .. there's nothing new about it" ;)

But yeah it's cool to be able to surrender it . it's like i needed to become aware first .. of where it was coming in in my own body .. and then become aware of what it was .. then .. where it was coming from .. get out of the state of denial that this was actually happening .. and then be enables to request consistent outpouring all the time to break through the clouds .. and then had to find a way to keep out some people who were exploiting my ignorance through this .. and then well not till recently .. be actually able to surrender ever pore everything all in unison .. the word surrender (sometimes) gets tossed around like its something we're made able to do .. but it's gotta be the most counter intuitive thing to learn . but it's cool God brought me here . i wonder what will happen next year?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top