Y Suffer?

Y SUFFER?

When people are unsaved, if they suffer, they groan, grumble, and do whatever it takes to extricate themselves from their situation. They see no need to suffer, particularly for any matter concerning God, because they live as heathens and godless people, and they thereby find no logic to it. But Christian hope as believers shrinkwraps the effects of suffering, and even eliminates it for the Christian who suffers for Christ's sake, for we try to live in the spirit and not the flesh, knowing that our time is short and finite on the physical plane of existence, but our eternity with Christ will be totally devoid of all negative influence, including all forms of suffering: "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." (Rom. 8:18) "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16 - 18) When we walk in gout pain, or are given unfair conditions by heartless taskmasters at work, or even when we are afflicted by burdensome taxation and other unfair laws of the land we live in, we are easily and understandibly ready to complain of the suffering of all manner of afflictions of the world, and I, too, struggle to suffer without complaint, for it is too easy to readily vocalize how we are feeling, and so it is with patient practice that we should strive to bear suffering because we know that when we are in glory, we will be totally rid ofits effects.
Who all among you have figured out why God allows us to suffer? This is a very common question some who are Christians (and many not!) have concerning this seeming lack of protection, and the answer is that because of our experiences involving suffering, we can not only understandingly comfort others who later suffer similar situations, but when we are finished with our trial or tribulation, it lends to our trusting Him to carry us through other periods of suffering. "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. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation." (2 Cor. 1:3 - 7)

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me." (Phil. 1:29 - 30) As Christians, we should expect to suffer all kinds of affliction from anyone in opposition to the gospel. Every antiChrist, heathen or atheist, is going to desire to cause us grief, and as Christ suffered them for our sakes, so we are called to suffer for Him. If anyone asks how it is so that we are called to suffer for Christ, let them read this in the gospel; "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matt. 5:10 - 12) Persecution is a form of suffering! If one be ridiculed for witnessing, this suffering is promised to lead to reward by Christ Himself! If a gang of unbelievers beat you up because they know you are a witnessing Christian, you can get up and rejoice in their faces, because you remember this promise from Jesus your Savior. It might not be wise at that close of proximity, of course, but upon Christ's command, one can rejoice and be glad in their heart, knowing His promise of reward.

Paul suffered much for Christ, and counted suffering as He suffered for the gospel as a kind of fellowship with Christ; "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Phil. 3:10-11) Paul once spoke of all the kinds of sufferings he did for Christ's sake and that of the gospel; "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands." (2 Cor. 11:23 - 33) That's a whole lotta suffering, and doesn't include the time he was bitten by a poisonous snake! "And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand." (Acts 28:3) As we who read the bible know, he suffered all this and even death by execution for the gospel. We, too, are called to suffer even this, if peradventure it comes to be a life threatening experience.

"It is a faithful saying: 'For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself. (2 Tim. 2:11 - 13) Complex passage, isn't it? If we die believing in Him, we who believe kow we shall also be raised with Him. Suffering for the gospel as He did, we will reign with Him. But denying Him to the death is denying the gospel, and He will deny us, too. Even though we be unfaithful, yet He will be faithful.

Peter, too, wrote of the suffering of trials and temptations against our faith, and how great the reward that shall come upon the completion of our salvation. "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" (1 Pet. 1:6 - 7)

"Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Pet. 2:18 - 24) This says loads about suffering, and I have a very hard time suffering unrighteous treatment without complaint or outlet of some sort. If you feel convicted by what this says concerning harsh taskmasters appointed over you, let it lift you up to know that I have already confessed the same weakness. Misery loves company. And when we are able to grin and bear it, as I have managed to on yet some occasions, on those occasions we do please God. See how Christ suffered in silence, and this was only one facet of all the reasons in which the Father was well-pleased of Him! Here Peter says we are to silently suffer in the example He gave.

It is difficult to work out our salvation, those of us who are believers. We must be diligent in our perusal of Scripture as often as we can, and we still find flaws in our behavior that warrant a change, so that we follow His example and commandments. Though we might suffer odd tribulations we never expected, yet we are called to be glad in particular when we suffer for Christ. Because while we and He are derided in the language of the wicked by whose hands we suffer, yet we are safe in the fact that by our own mouths we have confessed and witnessed to His gospel. "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." (1 Pet. 4:12 - 19) Let no family member in Christ be embarrassed in whatever is thrown at them out of the mouth of unbelievers; because there's is the shame, and not the Christian's. I remember a young Christian being crestfallen for having been heckled by unbelievers he witnessed to. When this happens, we are to edify our fellow Christian, reminding them of their reward.

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Pet. 5:10) As we get used to this calling to suffer in Christ's example, we shall become pleasing to God as in our practice of it in all kinds of trails He establishes us in His paths and strengthens us to be Christlike!