Suffering comes to us in many different forms. All of us will experience suffering. The question is, how will we respond to it? The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 1:29, wrote, “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.”
Paul reminds us here that sometimes, for Christians, our suffering is not merely a part of God’s will – it is a privilege. In Philippians 1:12 he wrote, “And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped spread the Good News.”
What an attitude! The Good News about Jesus Christ had a fruitful impact because of the way Paul handled his sufferings. Many of you would remember the major league baseball player, Dave Dravecky. His pitching career was cut short by cancer in his throwing arm. Eventually, that arm had to be amputated. How did Dave respond to his adversity? He used it as a means of displaying his faith in God’s faithfulness to many people. I believe our Lord wants us to respond in the same way. Because he lost his arm, Dave Dravecky received hundreds and hundreds of invitations to give his testimony and share the Gospel.
· Suffering can result in advancing the Gospel.
· Suffering can open doors for us to share our faith in God’s faithfulness. In Philippians 1:20 Paul wrote, “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.”
· The way we respond to suffering can encourage other believers in their faith and witness. Paul, in Philippians 1:14, wrote, “And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.”
· Suffering for Christ will reveal who your true friends are. In Philippians 1:15-17, Paul wrote, “It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.”
· Suffering should result in our spiritual growth. I can say that being widowed two times has developed my spiritual muscle. In Romans 8:29 we read “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Do you long to grow and become more Christ-like? That was Paul’s desire.
· Suffering has a way of purifying our motives. Paul, in Philippians 1:21 wrote, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”
How could we even think of being conceited when we realize that we owe the very breath we draw to Jesus Christ? Someone has suggested that the verse we just wrote, would read as follows — “For to me, to live is to die.”
The New King James Version renders verse 21 — “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What is your motive and my motive as we suffer? Is it for Christ to be exalted or magnified as we live in these bodies?
· Suffering can help us to see life and death in a healthy perspective. Paul says that “dying is gain.” If I am a true Christian, why should I fear dying? When I die, I will go to be with the LORD. It can’t be any better than that. No more sickness, no more pain, no more death, no more rejection, no more abuse of any kind. We will not experience poverty or failure ever again. We will have new bodies. We will be completely fulfilled in our new surroundings in heaven with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I pray that this meditation will help you to see how suffering can have a positive impact on your life and the lives of others. The indwelling Holy Spirit can empower us to have a healthy mindset toward whatever we suffer.
God bless and keep you,
Pastor Leonard
