Why I must suffer for so many years?

[BettyV]

I cannot see any light in my darkness for years...

[Guest BacKaran]

Tell me three good things that happened to you this week...

 

[Leonardo Von]

On 11/22/2016 at 1:19 PM, BettyV said:

I cannot see any light in my darkness for years...

Greetings BettyV,

 

Grace and mercy and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.

While we are in this world, suffering is inevitable:

 

• ·        “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33).

 

Indeed, It is vital to end our lukewarmness and reveal our true spiritual condition:

 

• ·        “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3.15,16).
• ·        “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1Corinthians 3.12-15).

 

So much so that David comes to ask for the Lord prove it:

 

·        “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if [ there be any ] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139.23,24).

·

Now the question is why we are suffering:

 

• ·        “Servants, [ be ] subject to [ your ] masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this [ is ] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory [ is it ], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [ for it ], ye take it patiently, this [ is ] acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [ himself ] to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1Pe 2.18-24).
• ·        “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy [ are ye ]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or [ as ] a thief, or [ as ] an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if [ any man suffer ] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time [ is come ] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [ it ] first [ begin ] at us, what shall the end [ be ] of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [ to him ] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” (1Peter 4.12-19).
• ·        So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: [ Which is ] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: seeing [ it is ] a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” (2Thessalonians 1.4-8).

 

We are suffering as a result of our sins or for the love of Christ and the people He has placed in our lives?

If we are not suffering, it is because we are apathetic to the suffering of the people around us. This is a serious sign that the Eternal's wrath is upon us:

 

• ·        “Woe to them [ that are ] at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, [ which are ] named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: [ be they ] better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border? Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, [ and ] invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.” (Amos 6.1-6).
• ·        “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”(Ezekiel 16.49).
• ·        “And I am very sore displeased with the heathen [ that are ] at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.” (Zechariah 1.15).

 

Worse: we are completely disconnected from the suffering of Christ for His Beloved Church:

 

• ·        Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:” (Colossians 1.24).
• ·        “Yea doubtless, and I count all things [ but ] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [ but ] dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Philippians 3.8-10).

 

That's right: The Lord does not afflict or grieve willingly the children of men (Lamentation 3.33; Micah 7.18). He suffers with us when we need to be disciplined (and communicates this suffering with the rest of his body):

 

·        But thou, O Lord, [ art ] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” (Psalms 86.15).

 

However, discipline is just for our good:

·        “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [ us ], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [ our ] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [ us ], and we gave [ them ] reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened [ us ] after their own pleasure; but he for [ our ] profit, that [ we ] might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all [ men ], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [ you ], and thereby many be defiled; lest there [ be ] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” (Hebrews 12.1-17).

 

And do not think that when Paul speaks of suffering for Christ he was with hypocrisy. He lived this (see the full list of his sufferings – 2Corinthians 11.22-33):

 

• ·        “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” (1Corinthians 15.31).
• ·        “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” (Galatians 6.19).

 

After all, he knew very well that:

 

·        “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2Corinthians 7.9,10).

 

Moreover, we cannot forget that:

 

1 – the love is suffering:

·        “Charity suffereth long, [ and ] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (1Corinthians 13.4-7).

 

2 – We're not here to be served but to serve (Matthew 20.25-28):

·        “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;” (Philippians 1.29).

 

The good news is that suffering is not synonymous of sadness. We can go through terrible struggles and still be fully at peace and happy (even because Jesus promised it - John 10:10):

 

• ·        “And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten [ them ], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” (Acts 5.40,41).
• ·        “And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat [ them ]. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast [ them ] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” (Acts 16.22-25).
• ·        “Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to [ their ] power, I bear record, yea, and beyond [ their ] power [ they were ] willing of themselves; praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and [ take upon us ] the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And [ this they did ], not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” (2Corinthians 8.1-5).

 

Moreover, if we do not take the eyes of Christ, we will never sink into the pain of abandonment pain, in unbelief, apostasy, etc. With Jesus we ALREADY (present) are more than conquerors:

 

·        “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8.36,37).

 

          Jesus help us not to give up to take possession of the victories and promises he has won for us. After all, in heaven there is room only for winners (Revelation 2.7,11,17,26; 3.5,12,21), who was approved (2Timothy 2.15). Remember that there’s only victory when there is fight and the greater  the victory, the greater the blessing (Romans 5:20) and the love that accompanies it (Luke 7:47).

Edited November 28, 2016 by Leonardo Von

[kwikphilly]

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I cannot see any light in my darkness for years...                                          BettyV

Blessings Betty

    Welcome to Worthy,with such a vague "statement" with no question it is difficult to reply,I can only respond with Gods Word

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King James Bible
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 4:6

Jesus is your answer,the Way the Truth & the Life

I encourage you to begin a Thread in the "Have a Problem,Need Advice" Forum here in the Inner Court so we can talk.....Q & A is an answer Forum ,to the QUESTION in the OP and the best reply is decided,not the place for discussion & I think you need more than what this Forum is designed for

                                                                                                                                                       With love-in Christ,Kwik

[RustyAngeL]

On 11/23/2016 at 6:26 PM, BacKaran said:

Tell me three good things that happened to you this week...

 

The knowledge that God is still in control,  That in spite of a few aches and pains, I can do what I need to do, that I have a roof over my head, friends, my three dogs, .. Oh my I could go on and on.  Three things.. and so many more.