Chapter 30 Twenty-fifth day Suffering transforms us

Twenty-fifth day Suffering transforms us Our momentary and lightest suffering, To accomplish for us a matchless and eternal glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17) The radiance of divinity is distilled from the flames of suffering. —Madam Guyon Behind every difficulty there is God's purpose. God uses circumstances to shape our character.In fact, it uses circumstances more than our reading of Scripture to make us like Jesus; for the obvious reason: you are exposed to different circumstances twenty-four hours a day. Jesus warned us that in this world we will have difficulties and problems, no one is free from suffering, or separated from suffering, no one can live a smooth life.Life is a series of difficulties; once you solve one, another will follow.Although they are not necessarily big troubles, they are all important links in which God helps you grow.Peter assures us that difficulties are normal when he says, "When the fiery trial comes upon you, do not be amazed and afraid, thinking that something extraordinary has happened."

God uses difficulties to bring you closer to Him. The Bible says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Your deepest and most intense worship experiences may be in the darkest moments of your life—when your heart is broken and you feel Abandoned, cornered, when it hurts the most—you can only turn to God.Always in the midst of suffering, we learn to pray to God most honestly and sincerely.In our misery, we have no energy for flashy prayers. Joni Eareckson Tada said: "When life is full of flowers, we slip through the years of life and miss knowing Jesus, imitating him, quoting him, and talking about him; but only in suffering can we really know Jesus." In suffering. In it, we learn about God that we cannot learn any other way.

God could have saved Joseph from prison, Daniel from the lions' den, Jeremiah from the mud, Paul from three shipwrecks, and three Hebrew youths from being thrown into In the furnace of raging fire.But he allowed the suffering to happen, and as a result these people were drawn closer to God. Suffering forces us to turn to God and rely on Him instead of ourselves.Paul testified to this and said: "Knowing that relying on our own strength will never solve our difficulties, and we will surely die. Therefore, we no longer rely on ourselves, but only look to God who can raise the dead." When you only have God, you Only then do you know that he is the only thing you need.

No matter what causes your difficulties, they will not happen without God's permission.Everything that happens to a child of God is filtered by God the Father, and even though Satan and others try to destroy it, He uses it for your good. Because God is sovereign, accidents are just one thing in God's plan for you.Because before you were born, God has written every day of your life on His calendar.Everything that happens to you has important spiritual implications.The book of Romans explains: "We know that (God causes) all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. appearance......."

Understand Romans 8:28-29 This is one of the most misunderstood and misused passages in the Bible.He didn't say, "God makes all things work the way I want," which is obviously not the case; nor did he say, "God makes all things have a happy ending on earth," because there are many unhappy endings in life. We live in a fallen world, and only in heaven will everything be perfect as God intended.That's why we're taught to pray, "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." To fully understand Romans 8:28-29, you have to read it line by line. "We know": In difficult times, our hope is not based on positive thoughts or optimistic thoughts, but on the truth that God is in control of the universe and that He loves us.

"God Envoy": There is a great designer behind everything.Your life is not by chance, chance, fate or luck, but a master plan.The English word "History" (History) is his story (His story).Everything is arranged and arranged by God.We make mistakes, God never does.God cannot be wrong because He is God. "Everything": God's plan for your life includes everything in your life, including your mistakes, your sins, and your hurts.Everything also includes sickness, debt, disaster, divorce, and the death of a loved one.God can turn all evil into blessing, as He did at Calvary.

"Mutual effect": not individual independent operation.Everything in your life works together in God's plan. They are not individual actions, but the whole process of interdependence to make us more like Christ.Flour, eggs, sugar and oil are used to bake cakes, and the taste of these ingredients is really difficult to swallow if tasted separately.But when mixed together and roasted, they become infinitely delicious.If you are willing to pour out to God every experience of your unpalatable pain, He will make it all sweet and good. "Benefits": This does not mean that everything in life is good.The real world is full of corruption.But God is best at bringing goodness out of it.In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, four women are mentioned: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Beersheba.Tamar seduced her father-in-law and impregnated her; Rahab was a prostitute; Ruth, a Gentile, broke the law and married a Jew; Beer-sheba committed adultery with David, and her husband was murdered.God can turn the rotten into the miraculous, making these discredited men the ancestors of Jesus.God's will is far greater than our problems, pain, and even our sins.

"The one who loves God and is called": This promise is only for God's children, not for everyone.People who are enemies of God and live as they please, everything works together to make these people corrupt. "according to his will": what is his purpose?It is to let us "become in the likeness of his Son...", everything that happens in your life is allowed by God to fulfill His purpose. Build Christlike Character We are like precious stones that need to be hammered and chiseled through suffering.If a jeweler's sledgehammer can't remove our corners, God uses a sledgehammer.If we are still stubborn, he will use a power drill.He will do whatever it takes.

Every problem is an opportunity for character building, and the higher the difficulty, the greater the potential for building strong spiritual and moral minds.Paul said, "We know that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character...." What happens outside of your life is not as important as what happens inside you.Circumstances are temporary, but character is eternal. The Bible often uses a goldsmith's furnace as a metaphor for a test.Peter said, "Different trials will make your faith purer. Pure faith is more precious than gold...." Someone asked a silversmith, "How do you know when silver has to be refined to be pure?" What?" He replied, "When I see my reflection." When you are tested and purified, people can see the reflection of Jesus in you.James said, "Under stress, your life of faith is forced to hide."

God wants us to be like Jesus, and He will take you through what Jesus went through, including loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection, and other problems.The Bible says that Jesus "learned obedience by suffering" and "was made perfect by suffering." If God allowed His Son to go through this, why should we be spared it?Paul said, "We are to experience the way of Christ. If we suffer with him, we will be glorified with him." Respond to Difficulties Like Jesus Suffering does not automatically fulfill God's purpose.Instead of growing through suffering, many people become bitter.Therefore, you must respond to difficulties like Jesus did.

Remember God's plan is always good God thinks of you and knows what is best for you.God said to Jeremiah, "I know that my plan for you is to make you prosperous, not to bring you disaster. This plan gives you hope and a future." Joseph understood this truth, so he was very concerned about The brother who sold him into slavery said, "You meant to harm me, but God meant it for good." Hezekiah said sadly about his life-threatening disease, "Such a difficult time is For my good." Whenever God says "no" to your prayer of deliverance, "God is doing what is good for us, training us to live holy lives." It is important to focus on God's plan and not on your own pain or problems.This is why Jesus was able to endure the pain of the cross, and this is the example we are urged to follow; endured the pain of the cross.” Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered on Nazi death camps, explained the power of this focus: “Look at the world and you will be disappointed; look at your heart and you will be depressed; but look at Christ, you may rest!" What you focus on will determine how you feel. The secret to patience is to remember that your pain is temporary and your reward is forever.Moses endured a lifetime of affliction "because he longed for the reward he would receive." Paul endured similarly when he said, "Our light affliction, momentary, will speak for us of a far greater and eternal glory." Don't succumb to current thoughts, but focus on the end result: "To share his glory is to share his sufferings. But compared with the two, the sufferings are nothing." joy and thanksgiving The Bible tells us, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." How can that be?Notice, God wants us to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances.God doesn't expect you to be thankful for evil, for sin, for suffering, or for their consequences; God just wants you to thank Him for using problems to accomplish His purposes. The Bible says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." It doesn't say, "Rejoice in your pain." That's masochism.You rejoice in the Lord, and no matter what happens, you can rejoice in God's love, care, wisdom, power, and faithfulness.Jesus said, "At that time be filled with joy, for a great reward awaits you in heaven." We can also rejoice in the fact that God is with us through pain.We're not serving a God who's unobtrusive and only shouts trite words of comfort on the sidelines.Our God enters into our suffering.Jesus expressed it in the form of incarnation, his spirit is with us now, and he will never forsake us. refuse to give up Be patient and persevere.The Bible says, "...let this process continue until your patience is fully established and you will find yourself a man of maturity...without a blemish of weakness." Character building is a slow process.Whenever we try to escape life's difficulties, we hinder our progress, slow our growth, and end up in the greatest pain—the pain that comes with denial and avoidance.When you realize the eternal results of character growth, you will ask God less to "comfort me" (make me feel better) and more to "make me obey" (make me more like you). You'll know you're maturing when you start to see God's hand leading you through the chaos, routine, and aimlessness of your life. If you're having trouble, don't ask, "Why me?" Instead, ask, "What lessons are you learning?" Then trust God and keep doing what you're supposed to be doing. "You still need patience, so that after you have done the will of God, you can receive the promise." Don't give up, work hard to grow!