Ouch, That Hurts - Enter the Sufferings of Christ (by Pastor Linda Pugsley) (Part 1 of 2)

© Melinda Nagy | Dreamstime.com

God doesn’t want us to suffer, but it is inevitable because this isn’t heaven! We are faced with:

• The fallen nature of man
• The cursed earth because of that fall
• Satan and his foul companion

Through it all, God loves us with a love we barely understand. But He makes no excuse for sin and makes the standard clear.

Many do complain that God is unfair, that this earth is a mess because of Him, that suffering is His mistake…but I want us to take another look at “suffering”. I don’t mean suffering because of the common problems of the day…most of which we bring on ourselves with poor decisions in the realm of health, finances, relationships, etc.

What I’m talking about is an “attitude” about suffering…what’s yours? Where does “suffering” come into your understanding of the truths of God? Are you angry, confused, or just plain old neutral?

Romans 14:8 “for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

Is that your attitude? Not hardly, but it can be! Suffering is real, whether we caused it or not. The point is when it is physical suffering we are willing to suffer a bit more in order to get it fixed so it won’t interfere with our full functioning anymore.

Will you have a scar? Many times you will. Does the scar hurt like the original injury? Not usually, but it is a vivid reminder of what happened. Hopefully, it will be a reminder that helps you not do the action again that caused the injury.

In following a life in Christ, there is much suffering because we are trying to live a fully functional life with broken parts and pieces. We cannot do it without pain. The more we give to God, the more He can fix. The suffering will never go away completely because the journey requires a total makeover. But what an awesome difference when we begin to walk with some of the broken parts fixed! How can we do that? God gives us ample guidance in the Scriptures:

• Entrance into a covenant with the FAMILY OF GOD (Matthew 12:50)
• God will BEAR YOUR BURDENS (Psalm 68:19)
• Your PROVISIONS WILL BE BLESSED (Exodus 23:25)
• WEAKNESS AND WEARINESS will be REMOVED (Exodus 23:25)
• You will have an EVERLASTING NAME (Isaiah 56:5)
• You will receive a NEW HEART to KNOW GOD (Jeremiah 24:7)
• You will receive a NEW SPIRIT that will BE ABLE TO OBEY GOD (Ezekiel 11:19-20)
• You will ENTER INTO HIS REST (Matthew 11:28)
• The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU (Luke 11:13)
• You will NEVER PERISH but have ETERNAL LIFE (John 10:28)
• You will receive the CROWN OF LIFE in heaven (Revelation 2:10)

The sufferings of Christ might make us wince and say, “Ouch, that hurts!” A surgeon or a medical doctor may often have to hurt you to fix you. But how much more effective result we will receive when it is not just a broken bone or disease that will be removed to bring you a small amount of comfort, but a whole, totally new part that will bring freedom, faith and a future with God.

May we be willing to say, “Bring it on!” And God keep us with His mercy. Amen.

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Ouch, That Hurts (Part 2 of 2)

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