A Reason For Suffering...

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." --C. S. Lewis
"For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone" (Lam. 3:33, NIV). 
"... Who dares to ask, 'What are you doing?'" (Job 9:12, NLT).  

"...He speaks to them in their affliction," (cf. Job 36:15, NIV). 

"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," (cf. Acts 14:22, NIV). 
"Don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through. ... Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering" (1 Peter 4:12-13, NLT).
"Now I rejoice i what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's affliction, for the sake of his body, which is the church" (Col. 1:24, NIV).
"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him" (Phil. 1:29, NIV).

NOTE: NO RELIGION OR PERSON HAS THE FULL ANSWER TO SUFFERING, BUT CHRIST GIVES MEANING IT BECAUSE HE SUFFERED AND WAS STILL VICTORIOUS AND CAN RELATE TO US IN OUR SUFFERING BECAUSE OF IT; HE LEARNED OBEDIENCE BY WHAT HE SUFFERED (CF. HEB. 5:8).  TRUE FAITH ENDURES EVEN WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WHY.  WHAT A RELIGION SAYS ABOUT SUFFERING IT CANNOT EXPLAIN IS WORTH BELIEVING. 

Christianity, as a religion, alone offers a reason for suffering besides it being karma or deserved from sin or wrongdoing. We see temporal events in light of eternity and everything strikes a chord to vibrate into the next life.  No religion offers a complete and definitive reason for it though, but Christianity helps us endure it; if man has a reason for his suffering, he is able to while it away.  Realistically speaking, God has His reasons we cannot fully know, for His thoughts are infinitely higher than ours.  God is too deep to explain Himself, too kind to be cruel, and too wise to make a mistake.  The challenge is to keep the faith in spite of our suffering and trial and to learn from it, as we chalk it up to experience in the school of hard knocks.  As Paul said in his swan song, 2 Timothy, v. 4:7, KJV, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."  In our suffering, we must never ask where God is, but where He isn't.  "He is there, and He is not silent,"  according to Francis Schaeffer.

In part, our suffering's purpose is so that we can "console" others in their affliction and suffering and relate to them (cf. 2 Cor. 1:4). We are not called to be stoics who think that the ultimate purpose in life is to endure (literally grin and bear it) and accept the bad times and our so-called fate, not doing anything about it.  God can help us live above and beyond our circumstances.  We are not to be defined by them or limited in our ability to do God's will and achieve our calling.  Instead, we ought to be unfazed like Paul and say, "But none of these things move me" (cf. Acts 20:24).

We must acknowledge though, that all trials are Father-filtered and God has allowed them, even if Satan is doing the harm, and God will bring about His glory in the end--behind every cloud, there's a silver lining.  There is a chance to sympathize and with and encourage the bereaved or tested, when we can say that we've been there and done that.  This is the open door to sympathizing with our fellow man and not turning a deaf ear to his predicament, for it could happen to us--no one is immune from suffering and it comes with the territory of being saved.  Job's comforters made the mistake of having the presupposition that all suffering is caused by sin and they thought he was only getting half of what he deserved and ought to repent.  God didn't apologize nor offer reasons for his suffering, but showed His face to him, and instead of answering "why?" God answered "who?"  Who are we to question God?  God doesn't owe us an explanation!

In the final analysis, God never promised us a bed of roses and we signed up for this upon salvation.  Reality 101 is realizing that character comes from affliction!  No believer gets to skate through life trouble-free.  Even Christ didn't exempt Himself from suffering and suffered more than we will; our crosses to bear pale in comparison!   Sometimes we aren't aware of just how hard-of-hearing we can become and need a spiritual wake-up call.  Times like these are times to make a spiritual inventory and see where we get our strength from.  And we must expect trials, tribulations, affliction, suffering, loss, and even defeat.  God is on our side, but there is no guarantee of coming out on top all the time; however, all in all, we are more than conquerors in Christ and winners in a win-win situation because Christ won and we are identified with His victory at Calvary.         Soli Deo Gloria!

Living In The Old Testament

THE OLD TESTAMENT IS SUMMED UP IN LEV. 17:11 WHILE THE NEW TESTAMENT IN ROM. 3:25.  
"WITHOUT THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS OF SIN."  "PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD."

The issue is whether you are living in the OT or the NT.  The OT is the Law and the NT is the Spirit (OF GRACE).   We are not bound to the letter of the Law, which kills, but to the Spirit, which is life.  Christ fulfilled the Law to the letter and set us free to live according to the Spirit of life in Christ (cf. Rom. 10:2).  In fact, the day we were set free from the Law was a day of rejoicing, and the day we realized it was heaven on earth as well as music to God's ears.  Nowhere in the NT are we admonished to live according to the Law!  Actually, "love is the fulfillment of the Law" (cf. Rom. 13:10).  We serve in the new way of the Spirit, not in the old way of the letter of the Law (cf. Romans 7:6). 

The yoke of following Jesus is the light and easy burden (cf. Matt. 11:30).  As many as are relying on the Law are under a curse (cf. Gal. 3:10).  God didn't give us the Law to keep, but to break, in order to show us we cannot keep it and look for salvation.  The Law merely measures us and shows our guilt, but doesn't save, but shows our need and doesn't exculpate.  NB:  NOWHERE IN THE NT ARE WE COMMANDED TO OBSERVE THE LAW NOR TO BECOME SOMEWHAT JEWISH TO BE SAVED OR SANCTIFIED.  

We have the yoke of God's will and following on to know the Lord.  That is why we live on purpose, and not just according to some externalism standard like the Pharisees did  (EXTERNALISM):  circumcision, hand washing, sacrifice, tithing, fasting, Sabbath and holy day observance, and following the kosher restrictions on diet (anything avoiding the condition of the heart or thought life).  Instead, we are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit, which wasn't given yet in the OT.  Christians all have a ministry and mission, and are priests for the Lord, not needing the priesthood any longer.  In fact, we are a "kingdom of priests." (cf. 2 Pet. 2:9).    We all have a spiritual gift to use for God's glory and to help function in the church's commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission.

There are still so-called Judaizers who add law to grace, and works to faith, and put a yoke on us, spying out our freedom in Christ and hinder us from being free and doing the will of God.  They put us back into bondage, not realizing that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"  (cf. 2 Cor. 3:17).  Our faith is not performance-based, but relationship-based.  But we are still prone to spiritual tyranny.  This is nothing but slavery to the Law.  We need to be set free and if the Son shall set us free, we shall be free indeed (cf. John 8:36).  God doesn't need people keeping someone's rules, but people who know Him.

To know Him is to love Him; however, it would all be in vain if we not only knew Him but didn't make Him known.   The mature believer is Spirit-filled and knows that as many as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God (cf. Rom. 8:14).  And now, "love is the fulfillment of the Law" (cf. Rom. 13:10; Gal. 5:14); Matt. 22:40).  And so, let us not just progress from faith to faith, but follow on to know the Lord, confessing Him, serving Him, and worshipping Him.  This entails spreading the Word and doing our part as we fit into the body with our unique gift or gifts.

Our marching orders are to fulfill the Great Commission and to occupy and stand our ground till He comes again--bloom where we are planted.  Our goal: to follow Christ more nearly, to know Him more clearly, and to love Him more dearly (according to Richard of Chichester). The keyword in our faith to us is to KNOW!  We know Jesus as God, Savior, and Lord; we know ourselves as totally depraved and in need of salvation; we know our enemies as the flesh, the devil, and ourselves as our worst enemy; we know our purpose, gifts, and calling to serve the Lord, we know God's will in order to fulfill our mission to the unsaved and ministry to our brethren; we also know the Word as we study, read, obey, and share it; and use all this knowledge to apply it first to ourselves, and to not only know the Lord but make Him known.       Soli Deo Gloria!