Luke 13:1-35
None of us like to suffer very much, but God specializes in using suffering in the lives of His children to make them more complete and to further His kingdom. There are many things about suffering that we do not understand, but the truths of this passage should help.
SUFFERING PRODUCES GROWTH: God uses, not only our suffering, but also the suffering of others as a means to bring about His will. This passage tells of two incidents in recent history where several men were killed. It was taught that these people must have been especially sinful to suffer this fate. The truth was is that the entire nation was sinful, but God graciously spared most of them in hopes that the tragedy that befell their friends would wake them up and lead them to repentance. The fruitless fig tree depicts a similar truth. In order for the tree to become fruitful it needed to be cut, have the dirt dug up around it and be fertilized. The tree was probably much happier and more comfortable just growing leaves. We can become too comfortable in our lives to the point that we become satisfied with a fruitless life. Suffering is what God uses us to wake us up into productivity.
SUFFERING PROMOTES GLORY: We do not like to think about how God uses illness and suffering to bring glory to himself. The woman in the synagogue had been suffering for over a decade, but at the right time and in the right place God used her illness to manifest the power and glory of His Son. Her illness served as a mans to confront the hypocrisy of the religious leaders as well as to bring rejoicing to the all the rest who observed this miracle. Do we rejoice in suffering because we know that God has permitted it and will use it for His glory? Are we more concerned about God's glory or our comfort? Our attitudes towards suffering will reveal whether we truly desire God's glory or if, in reality, we worship our own pleasures.
SUFFERING PUNISHES GODLESS: Not all suffering is a punishment from God, but He certainly will inflict eternal suffering on the ungodly. There are many who pretend to follow Christ but they do not truly know Him. Rejecting the Gospel may be the easy road of this earth but it will bring about endless suffering in all of eternity.
SUFFERING PROMISED FOR GOD'S SON: Christ knew the fate that was awaiting Him in Jerusalem, yet He set his face towards that city and at the right time would go there suffer and die. Christ, during His earthly ministry, suffered great emotional grief because the people of Jerusalem would not repent and follow Him. These same people He longed to forgive and comfort would soon nail Him to a cross. Suffering was a constant companion of Christ while He was on the earth. We should not expect otherwise for ourselves.
SUFFERING PRODUCES GROWTH: God uses, not only our suffering, but also the suffering of others as a means to bring about His will. This passage tells of two incidents in recent history where several men were killed. It was taught that these people must have been especially sinful to suffer this fate. The truth was is that the entire nation was sinful, but God graciously spared most of them in hopes that the tragedy that befell their friends would wake them up and lead them to repentance. The fruitless fig tree depicts a similar truth. In order for the tree to become fruitful it needed to be cut, have the dirt dug up around it and be fertilized. The tree was probably much happier and more comfortable just growing leaves. We can become too comfortable in our lives to the point that we become satisfied with a fruitless life. Suffering is what God uses us to wake us up into productivity.
SUFFERING PROMOTES GLORY: We do not like to think about how God uses illness and suffering to bring glory to himself. The woman in the synagogue had been suffering for over a decade, but at the right time and in the right place God used her illness to manifest the power and glory of His Son. Her illness served as a mans to confront the hypocrisy of the religious leaders as well as to bring rejoicing to the all the rest who observed this miracle. Do we rejoice in suffering because we know that God has permitted it and will use it for His glory? Are we more concerned about God's glory or our comfort? Our attitudes towards suffering will reveal whether we truly desire God's glory or if, in reality, we worship our own pleasures.
SUFFERING PUNISHES GODLESS: Not all suffering is a punishment from God, but He certainly will inflict eternal suffering on the ungodly. There are many who pretend to follow Christ but they do not truly know Him. Rejecting the Gospel may be the easy road of this earth but it will bring about endless suffering in all of eternity.
SUFFERING PROMISED FOR GOD'S SON: Christ knew the fate that was awaiting Him in Jerusalem, yet He set his face towards that city and at the right time would go there suffer and die. Christ, during His earthly ministry, suffered great emotional grief because the people of Jerusalem would not repent and follow Him. These same people He longed to forgive and comfort would soon nail Him to a cross. Suffering was a constant companion of Christ while He was on the earth. We should not expect otherwise for ourselves.
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