Date:
December 29, 2021It's Not a Perfect World
No one lives happily ever after on this earth, but if we cling to our faith we can be sure there will be a happy ending. Our sorrow may last for a night, but joy will come in the morning.
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Suffering
In the process of living and dying in a sin-cursed world we experience distress, agony, and misery due to pain, disease, loss, and damage. We call it suffering. Everyone experiences it sooner or later. It is part of the human condition. Some of it we bring on ourselves. Some of us suffer through no fault of our own.
Besides being difficult physically, emotionally, and spiritually, the fact that suffering often appears to have no rhyme or reason, and appears meaningless adds a measure of psychological suffering. Suffering is easier to endure if we can attach some meaning or purpose to it.
While we can't often control the sources of our suffering, we can control our response to it. God gives us direction as to how to respond so as to make it meaningful. We hope these resources help you turn suffering into a situation to praise God for His strength amid your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9b).
Life Isn't Fair
Suffering has a way of simplifying life. It stretches our faith and pulls us back to the basics of prayer and dependence on God.
Battle of the Will
Painful or pressing conditions quickly reveal our internal battles. These struggles are not usually between what is good or bad, right or wrong, but between our desires and God’s will.
Paul: Living and Leading with Limitations
Having a limitation does not necessarily mean a liability. Paul illustrates five attitudes required for transforming limitations into assets and living and leading victoriously.
Tragedy and Calamity
If you allow it, tragedy can pull you closer to the Lord than you’ve ever been. God doesn’t leave you in hard times, He comes closer and He stays nearer.
Hope
You’re not very far along in life before you struggle with tough questions. It’s at times like this we really need hope.
Beyond the Broadcast: Reaping the Rewards of Righteousness
God is never obligated to give us health and wealth, but the story of Joseph is an example of a man who was rewarded for his righteousness and kept his integrity intact. From him we can learn how to respond to those who prosper and those who suffer.
Does God Care about Our Suffering?
Every Christian has experienced times when trials seem overwhelming. We naturally wonder: Where is God? Is God letting us down? Does He care? If God is good, then why is He allowing evil to triumph?
God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle
Because of our sin nature our default mode is self-sufficiency and independence from God. Rather than allowing His power—the power of Christ’s Holy Spirit who lives in every believer—to replace our weakness, we naturally try to handle things on our own.
How to Recognize When People are Suffering
For many of us, our busy schedules filled with appointments and obligations keep us occupied to the brink of breakdown. We don’t have time for self-reflection or to take note of triggers and internal alarm bells telling us we’re not OK.
