• Do you ever wonder why we have to suffer? I do all the time!
I have always wondered about this verse......
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Phil 3:10
i thought.... "Hmmm.. Paul was one crazy dude!" I would think about that verse and think about that verse and I never got it...
Lately I have been realizing that that if one had the proper insight on issues that they would be easy to handle.. I just couldn't figure out how the issues in my life would be to my benefit... Rejection, abandonment, unforgiveness, insecurities... and so on.
In my search for the purpose behind this suffering.. I have discovered something... the purpose for the suffering that we go through.
Jesus said: Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. John 12:24
2 Cor 4:7 says: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us
I never really noticed but read verses 8-12 after this:
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.12 So then death is working in us, but life in you
The treasure is God's glory and giftings inside of us. We are those earthen vessels that contain that glory. And here is the clincher...... the way that God gets that glory and giftings to shine out of us is through the things that we suffer. Paul mentions this treasure and how it is contained.. and then right after that he goes into the ways that we suffer so that (vs 10) the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
That is it! As we suffering things in this body... it cracks open our hard outer surface and through these cracks... the glory of God shines out!
Compare that to the verse in John 12:24 where Jesus said that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.. but if it dies.. it produces much grain.
All the time.. we have been trying to protect ourselves more and more because of the hurts we have suffered.... and all that does is give us a harder shell.... which then brings even more suffering because God wants our outer shell to be cracked and remain open so that His glory will shine through us to others.
Now one thing that I have noticed about those that suffer a lot... if you really talk to them... they really have a depth and have a lot to offer... but because of the hurt and suffering they have built up walls... This keeps all that insight, love, giftings all walled up.
So what do we do?
Accept the suffering. Allow yourself to feel the pain.. Go to God with the pain and truly trust Him to bring you through it. Even thank Him for what you are going through.. knowing that it is for the purpose of opening us up so that all the goodness inside of us can shine out and benefit others as well as oursevles.
Any thoughts?
