“Joy in Suffering”
Endure Through Difficulty
We're living in a climate of fear and uncertainty. Heading to the store faced with empty shelves where the toilet paper, bread, and water used to be, it's easy to develop a pessimistic view of the future. But as Paul pointed his audience to their times of adversity in Romans 5, he paints a much more optimistic picture.
Find Endurance
"... but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance" (Rom. 5:3).
Our natural reaction to suffering is usually — and understandably — negative. But Paul encourages us to dig deeper. What happens on the other side of difficulty? If we've kept our faith, we're stronger than we were before. We pushed through the pain toward endurance! It's like that old bodybuilder saying, "No pain, no gain!" And the "gains" of suffering can lead us to a much stronger faith in the Lord. Don't give up, but keep on pushing!
So, do you see this current time of difficulty as a way of building your endurance?
Develop Character & Hope
"and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Rom. 5:4).
I was always a terrible test-taker in school. No matter how much I studied or understood the material, all that preparation seemed to vanish when test time came. But character is only proven through testing. You may think you're full of faith, but you'll never really know until you're forced to prove it! And if you've passed the test, your hope — your expectation of eternal reward — grows stronger too.
So, are you ready to ace these current tests of character?
Experience God's Love
"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. ... God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:5, 8).
When we compare our suffering to Jesus' suffering, it's hard to feel like we're facing too much. We're not unjustly mocked, beaten, or killed. But if God's love led Christ to die, his love will lead us through our troubling times too. He cares for us enough to save us, even while we were his enemies! What greater joy could we have than knowing the Creator of all things is concerned about our greatest needs today?
So, do you remember God's unfailing love for you, even in challenging times?
Praise God that he offers us such joy through our suffering. Let's press on to endurance, character, hope, and a constant focus on God's love while times get tough.
