Marching To The Beat Of A Different Drum

Years ago my coworkers couldn't understand my ways and said I marched to the beat of a different drummer--it was when I had rededicated my life to Christ. I seemed to them like a mystic that listened to the "inner voice" like a Quaker does. I believe this is okay as long as the "User's Guide" is the Scriptures. God has no general M.O. to reveal His will for our lives. It is a walk, step by step, day by day--we only know the next step when we are obedient to the previous one. "Job One" is knowing God's will but and we will not be given an itinerary or master plan, but shown an open door and maybe some closed doors. We "walk by faith and not by sight" and "the righteous shall live by faith" and progress "from faith to faith" growing in glory into the image of Christ himself.

Sometimes we may have to go against the grain and take chances, just like Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, he took a leap of faith. The Christian life is a journey, not a destination, and no one can say they have "arrived." If we do make mistakes, God turns them into blessings according to Rom. 8:28, which says all things will work together for our good.

David was a "man after God's own heart" and the reason he was is that he was willing to do all the will of God. There is no "1-2-3" method of finding God's will because we are all unique individuals in God's eyes. However, He does have a master plan according to Jer. 29:11 which says, "I know the plans I have for you...." Yes, "let the chips fall where they may," because God cannot be thwarted and He has a custom-made plan for each of His children. 

There are many "no-brainers" in the Bible that declare God's will like 1 Thess. 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." We are commanded to know God's will and not be ignorant of it: "Do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is." We have the privilege of being given the will of God: "...[God] has chosen you to know His will" (Acts 22:14). We are not to sing with Doris Day: "Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be." We are not subject to impersonal fate. Nor can we be like the blind kismet of the  Muslims who proudly say in a catastrophe: "It is the will of Allah."  

 As a matter of definition, there is the preceptive will of God laid out in Scripture, and His secret, sovereign, decreed will that is secret and none of our business. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, and those that He has revealed belong to us and to our children..." (Deut. 29:29). When we discover the will of God, like an epiphany or "Aha!" moment in the Scriptures, we will have peace (cf. Col. 3:15).    We are to claim promises like Psalm 32:8 saying: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you shall go, I will counsel you with my eye upon you." We can get in sync with God's will by knowing the Word: "I desire to do your will O my God, your law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8). "Send forth your light and your truth, let them lead me" (Ps. 43:3). "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105). "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way" (Ps. 37:23).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Is Prayer?

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples..."  (cf. Isa. 56:7).  When we pray we enter and gain access or entrée into the throne room of God and into another dimension.   We are not overcoming His reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness--not so much getting our will done in heaven as His will done on earth.  The best and most complete prayer is simply:  "Thy will be done!"  This divine power lies dormant in all believers and they don't realize their potential.  Prayer is where the action is and the goal of prayer is prayer, i.e., it has its own rewards!  We should enjoy dialog with the Almighty.  The problem with most prayer warriors is that they don't listen.  "But for me, it is good to be near God"  (cf. Ps. 73:28).

 It is better to be plainspoken than to preach and it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.  Indeed, we must learn to be straightforward and bare our souls to God.  If we really want the glory of God we have the right attitude and motive.  It is more an attitude than a dialog when we say we "pray without ceasing."   Prayer doesn't waste our time, but someone has said it is "the ultimate time-saver."  Saying "Amen" is not a magic word or formula, but an expression of faith and means essentially "so be it."  My tribulations and trials have kept me on my knees--so how's your prayer life?  Lincoln said that many a time he was driven to his knees, simply because he had nowhere else to go." 

One keynote:  Keep short accounts with the Father they say and remember the most important verse to keep the conversation going is 1 John 1:9  which says:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

Did you know that we can't pray for too big a request or to small a matter--His love is great enough for everything and nothing is too great for an infinite God.  How big is your God?   He has not given us a blank check or carte blanche but must ask in Jesus' name, which means we seek to honor Him and are asking on His merits, not ours.   Other provisos are abiding in Christ (cf. John 15:7) and obedience (cf.1 John 3:22).   "Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live"  (cf. Psa. 116:2). 

Seek God with all your heart!  Call upon His name in the day of trouble (cf. Ps. 55:22)!  Cast your burden upon the Lord cf. (cf. Phil. 4:6).  Continue in prayer (cf.Col. 4:2).  And above all be thankful!  This is only Prayer 101!  Some wise believer said to work as if everything depends on you, but pray as if everything depends on God. 

By definition, prayer is a two-way dialogue with the Heavenly Father or one of the other members of the Godhead, in the name of Jesus, according to God's will, in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are conditions: Prayer is communion (we bare our souls) and the Lord's Supper, or Communion, is an analogy or type of prayer whereby we cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of flesh and spirit and renew our fellowship with God. "If we regard iniquity in our heart the Lord will not hear us" (cf. Ps. 66:18). Peter said that a lack of harmony in a marriage can be an impediment to a person's prayer life and may hinder effective prayer. It is the "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that avails"(cf. James 5:16) and so we must meet all the conditions of prayer: humility, reverence, and sincerity, for example.

Prayer is only to the Deity of the Trinity of Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit and invocation to any other person, saint, or deity is idolatry (cf. Ps. 5:2). We must pray according to God's will to be heard according to 1 John 5:14. We must pray in Jesus' name (our mediator) according to John 14:13,14, and not give up but importune according to Luke 18:1 ("One ought always to pray and not to give up"), and Matt. 7:7 ("keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking"). To gain entrée into God's presence, as if to another dimension, we must "enter His gates with thanksgiving, enter His courts with praise" (cf. Ps. 100:4).

Brother Lawrence wrote a book, Practicing the Presence of God. He learned to keep the conversation going. We aren't always uttering prayers, but the channel is open and we are in fellowship in an attitude of prayer, sensitive to His promptings. President Lincoln is quoted as saying that many a time he found himself on his knees, simply because he had nowhere else to go! It is well said that Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. Posture is not that important per se, but the attitude in prayer: i.e., we don't always have to lie prostrate or lift our hands to heaven.

 Scripture teaches both the efficacy of prayer and the sovereignty of God and we conclude that God ordains the means of prayer to His glorious ends. When we say "Thy will be done" this is not a cop-out but faith and it isn't trying to make a loophole if it isn't answered, but this is commanded by God and His will will be done despite our prayers, but He has chose as the means to His ends, that He will use our prayers. The prayer of relinquishment is the greatest prayer one can say.

Yes, indeed, prayer is the "acid test" of one's spirituality and as the famed follow-up counselor of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc., Charlie Riggs was known as one who could only pray and quote Scripture, and look at his success to become the head of follow-up. Many famous saints spent a lot of time in prayer, Martin Luther would spend at least 2 hours to start the day in prayer, and if he was busy he would spend more time! Yes,  again:   "Prayer doesn't just take time, it is the ultimate time-saver."

Prayer is entering God's presence (like into another dimension) or His sanctuary: We are to seek His face and His presence continually. "The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him" (cf. Hab. 2:20). "Be still and know that I am God" (cf. Ps. 46:1). Genuine prayer will always be answered: sometimes no, sometimes yes, and sometimes wait or I have something better! God does answer prayer: "Call unto Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me" (cf. Ps. 50:15); "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (cf. Jer. 33:3); "Before they call I shall answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear" (cf. Isa. 65:24).

My pastor keeps reminding us that prayer is where the action is and one cannot have a healthy relationship with God without a growing prayer life. We either grow or go backward; there is no treading water or standing still spiritually. To open prayer, it is helpful to just praise God for who He is and thank Him for your blessings. He is interested in everything ("Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you"). No problem is too big or too trivial; they are all small to God. The best single prayer I have ever seen is the Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

In summary, prayer is seeking God and aligning ourselves with His will--we don't change God, prayer changes us! "Seek the Lord while He may be found" (cf. Isa. 55:6). "You shall seek Me and find Me, when you seek for Me with all your heart" (cf. Jer. 29:13); "The Lord has not forsaken those who seek Him" (cf. Ps. 9:10). "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me" (cf. Prov. 8:7). "Sow for yourselves in righteousness, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness on you" (cf. Hos. 10:12). Prayer is a blessing to God and to have a vital relationship with Him we must thirst after His Spirit and yearn for His presence, and seek His face. The Lord's Prayer is a paradigm prayer, not meant to be uttered word-by-word, but as a model and it is the prayer par excellence of Jesus. It is important to say, "Amen!" (So be it!) to our prayers as a confession of faith and relinquishment to God's will.  To reiterate let me say emphasize my point.   A word to the wise is sufficient: the goal of prayer is prayer.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Did God Promise A Rose Garden?

Job wasn't surprised that God dealt him a hand of trouble for he said, "Shall we accept good at the hand of God and not evil?" Surely, one can postulate that our life is no bed of roses; but don't get a martyr's complex either. However, everything that happens is Father-filtered and Isaiah says, "When you [not if you] pass through the waters I will be with you." Jesus says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Charlie Riggs says that"adversity builds character and Christlikeness."  Indeed, adversity is the crucible that prepares us and helps us to share in the holiness of God, as Paul referred to the "fellowship of His sufferings."

Rabbi Harald Kushner wrote a book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Well, they happen to bad people too! But the point is that there are no good people either. Adversity, discipline, suffering, trials, grief, heartache, and even ordeals and tragedy can happen to any Christian. Christ didn't exempt himself from suffering and was honest enough to warn us of it. Trouble inevitably comes to all believers: "Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward" (cf.Job 5:7). The Psalmist says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous..." (cf. Psalm 34:19). Riggs says that Hardship is part of the divine curriculum, part of Reality 101, as it were.

The famous Viennese Psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, was in a concentration camp known as Dachau and Riggs points out that the secret to his success in enduring was that he had a purpose (if you have a why you can endure the how); we can endure anything if we have hope! What they say as a cliche is that it is not what happens to you, but in you; you either become bitter or better.

We may have a "thorn in the flesh" like Paul and we are to remember that God works everything together for our good (cf. Rom. 8:28). Phil. 1:29 says, "For it has been granted unto you not only to believe in Christ but to suffer for His name." Even "Christ "learned obedience from what he suffered." C. S. Lewis says, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, but shouts to us in our pain."
As a matter of discipline per Heb. 12: 5-6 and Prov. 3: 11-12 and Job 5:17, God is pruning and not punishing us. "It is good that I was afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes;" "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your Word" (cf. Psalms 119: 71, 67).

"Lay out the welcome mat" and rejoice with thanksgiving at trouble--no problem! Negative stress is good for you. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice" (cf. Phil 4:4). Remember, God sees the long-term advantage and result, and we must keep the faith. Our walk is at stake and the Lord will "lead us in the path of righteousness for His namesake [our testimony]."

As an illustration, Riggs mentions a sculptor making a horse out of a stone; "How can you make a horse out of that? One inquires. "Oh, I just chip away at anything that doesn't look like a horse." God does likewise with us. To sum it all up, I quote Job 23: 10. "But he knows the way that I take when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold." In sum, God promises no bed of roses, but don't get a martyr's complex either, thinking the more you suffer, the better saint you are.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Doctrinal Testimony

A testimony is to attest to a first-hand account and account for it--it is hard to argue, like a man saying, "I was blind, but now I see." In a testimony, we give the synopsis of our life before conversion, how we got converted, and life after the leap, so to speak. Before the conversion, there is unrest and perplexity, then there is a turning point or climax, then there is peace, fulfillment and rest in Christ according to Billy Graham. They all tell of the person's personal pilgrimage and usually don't spare the details, as some like to glorify the past. I will spare you the details; believe me, I was a bad boy and a prodigal son and went through the school of hard knocks and had to come to the end of myself before I would cry out to the Lord in saving faith. I was surely depraved and knew it; I had been there and done that!

Conversion is the act of repentance, faith, and regeneration all occurring together by an act of God ("Salvation is of the Lord.") We do the repenting and believing and God does the regenerating which is passive. Faith is a gift of God and repentance is just the flip side that occurs simultaneously; it is either believing repentance or penitent faith that saves.

 My first step was to admit my need; like they say the preacher has to get the lost before he can save them. I was at my wit's end and at the end of my rope! Confirmation in the Lutheran church had been to no avail and I had lost what faith I had in college. It was in the Army that I came to know the Lord. I was not a very good soldier and didn't think I was going to make it as the loner I was. I wasn't getting out of life what I wanted and was existential in my philosophy thinking there was no purpose in life but to party. But I don't want to give "too much info!"

Before I was saved my life was dominated by sin and pleasing myself; I had no peace of mind and was looking ours for Number One! There seemed to be pleasure in sin for a season as I went to the bar scenes and learned to drink. I was also looking for love in all the wrong places if you know what I mean. I was separated from God and there was a cleavage or chasm between us. My life was empty, void and seemed boring in a vacuum. I yearned to have a relationship with God, not just know that He exists,  and didn't know what I was searching for; however, I wanted to know the truth. As Pascal said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in us that only God can fill." And Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee."

  We are made to know God and have a relationship with Him.     I like Psalm 107:2 which says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story ("Let the redeemed of the Lord say so"); if you have been redeemed speak up, in other words! Now how I got saved listening to Billy Graham. I was listening to the sermon being translated into Korean and it was going so slow I got every point he made!   He was talking of repentance and that seemed the missing link in my life that I had never done; I had to renounce sin for good. First I realized my need: "Indeed it is the straightedge of the law that shows us how crooked we really are" (Rom. 3:20). Then I recognized that Christ was indeed God in the flesh who died on my behalf personally. I received Christ with saving faith, which is either called believing repentance or penitent faith as my personal Lord and Savior. Note that I realized that repentance was imperative or mandatory according to Acts 17:30, "Now He commands all men everywhere to repent." Acts 3:19 says, "Repent and turn to God that your sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

I made a clear commitment that was a response to the wooing or tug of the Holy Spirit and I literally gave up, surrendered, and committed to following Christ. I went from the "gutter most to the uttermost."    The result is not that I am everything I ought to be, but thank God I'm not what I used to be!  I have peace with God, others, and myself ("Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God..."; "My peace I give unto you..."; "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace....")

I have an assurance that I am going to heaven because I am not ignorant of God's Word and take Him at His Word. "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). This is my spiritual birth certificate you could say! As they say:  "God said it in His Word, I believe it in my heart, that settles it in my mind."    Most important I have an abundant and fulfilling life according to  His promise of abundant life with a capital L (in short purpose in living).  I am now learning to overcome sin, know His will and seek His kingdom. But faith is manifest only in obedience; it has legs and must be followed by action or it is dead (no fruit, no faith);we must turn our beliefs into deeds, for we are saved unto good works though not by them,  and we are His masterpiece (says Paul in Eph. 2:10).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Voting Your Duty?

According to Rom. 5:14 there was sin even before the Law was given and no explicit commandment existed--men should've known right and wrong. All wrongdoing is sin, e.g., budding in line or road-rage, to name two. We have a civic duty to fight evil in whatever way we can and as citizens, we should be "good" citizens and vote in my opinion; or else we forfeit the right to complain. The argument from silence is a ploy that tricks naive people that know they are a rationalization and defense mechanism. Our liberty is curtailed by our brother's conscience and we certainly aren't supposed to encourage others in our sin or questionable acts as citizens. A good rule of thumb for morality would be the following: What would happen if everyone did it?

We are to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's." We will have to give an account of ourselves as to what we did with evil and not voting is trying to be neutral and there is no neutral as far as God is concerned. Are we part of the problem or part of the solution?

As long as we are in an imperfect world before the Millennial Kingdom of Christ we will always be choosing between the lesser of two evils; no one is perfect! It is just as wrong to exalt someone as a hero and "savior" than it is to demonize. God is a jealous God and doesn't appreciate us thinking someone is the panacea for our societies woes. The choice will always be between the lesser of two evils until Christ comes--so don't be disillusioned or disenchanted! I want as little evil as possible, don't you?  Soli Deo Gloria!

Whom Shall We Choose?

Like Joshua said, "Choose this day whom you shall serve...." We are on a road with a fork in it and have to decide which way to go. Josiah was the only king of Judah that had been compared to David and followed in the ways of him all the days of his life, not turning to the left nor to the right (2 Cor. 34:2). In Proverbs, we learn that it is wise not to go to one or another extreme--this is what is happening in the gridlock of our government! We are losing the voice of compromise and everyone wants his way or the highway so to speak. Where are the moderates that don't think they are speaking for God in everything?

I do not believe, as my presupposition, that you can assume God is a member of a political party or that one party represents the Christian worldview or agenda, like saying the litmus test is being pro-life. I agree with George Washington that we shouldn't even have parties [to be like bullies in my opinion] and we must accept those who disagree with us politically and not be fanatics politically, but only fanatics for the gospel of Christ which is the Great Commission, no reforming the cosmos, in which the devil is the god of.

I recollect the first election that I voted in: 1972 in Nixon vs. McGovern. I just liked Nixon like they liked Ike and had no real political philosophy: I thought he was the man as it were. I have since found out that he was dishonest and corrupt and had a dirty tricks man named Chuck Colson. If I were to vote all over again today I would not vote for Nixon even if I didn't consider myself a liberal.  (I was loyal to him to the bitter end, however, if I had known Bible doctrine I would not have been hurt.) However, God's Providence overruled and despite our foolishness He had a reason for putting Nixon in there to end the war et al. do we vote for the better man or for the one who agrees with our agenda? I voted for Reagan because I deemed him the better man than Jimmy Carter; I wanted a real man in the White House. Martin Luther said that he would rather vote for a competent pagan than an incompetent Christian. I don't know that that is right; Hitler was very competent and lots of people thought he could turn the economy around.

I believe voting for a person is a choice and we must believe that God is in charge and can use anyone He desires according to His pleasure. I do not want to find myself voting for the devil in disguise or an antichrist or one who believes in "another Jesus." Actually, in summation, both agenda and character, as well as competence, are valid reasons to choose but sometimes we are forced to choose between them. One must decide which is his most important issue or one that he could live with and pray the most for God to use in His will. Let's pray, "May the better man win!" Let's not compromise our principles to vote for what seems convenient or expedient to us, but what is good for the country.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Must America Be Punished?

No nation has had the privilege that we have or the high standard of living for so many as America. We are indeed responsible to God for the way we vote and participate and pray for our nation as it is "under God." Israel was specifically known by God above all nations and therefore God chose to punish them (cf. Amos 3) and not let them get away with idolatry.

The captivity in Babylon cured them of that but they had the sign of hypocrisy and legalism to boot notwithstanding. The promises in Deuteronomy 28 refer to God's covenant with Israel and not the church. The Abrahamic covenant of blessing those who bless us is still in effect.

We are admonished to not give up on our leaders but to intercede for them. There's nothing endemically wrong with infidel leaders who are moral and competent. The promise in 2 Chron. 7:14 is valid and pertinent to the Gentile nations: "If My people, who are called by My name [Christians] shall humble themselves [and seek His face, etc.]" God shall "heal the land" That's a promise you can take to the bank! America will only be punished if His people fail our country en masse.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Can Controversy Be Good?

"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3).

John Stott authored the book Christ the Controversialist and I think he's onto something here: Avoiding controversy completely is avoiding Christ, as it were. There are foolish controversies or quarrels, and there are ones that are worth the fight and are "non-negotiables." We shouldn't quarrel about disputable matters, such as eating meat or a Sabbath, but everyone should obey his conscience and be fully convinced in his own mind (Rom. 14:1ff).   Some have an unhealthy craving for quarrels and meanings of words (1 Tim. 6:4,8). 

We are to avoid "foolish controversies" or dissensions according to Titus 3:9. In the book Patton's Principles: A Handbook for Managers Who Mean It he admonishes us not to argue over something that you have nothing or little to gain in winning--to pick our fights wisely.  You could lose a friend arguing about a trivial subject.    As St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo said, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

There will be factions though we are not to have a factious spirit (a fruit of the flesh) because Christ said that he came not to "bring peace, but a sword (Matt. 10:34). But we are to beware of "deceptive philosophy and empty deceit.." cf/ Col. 2:8. So don't let anyone fool you with sophistry or "plausible arguments" and not according to the Word (Col. 2:4).   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Do We Know About Israel For Sure?

Defining Israel as the descendants of Jacob, not just of the tribe of Judah, of which the modern-day nation of Israel is composed.

There are a few facts that are clearly delineated in Scripture about present and future Israel: (1) Israel is presently blinded by God but even now the elect or remnant are being saved (Rom. 11:7-8); (2) in the last days "all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:26); (3) Israel "stumbled over the stumbling stone" (Christ) (Rom. 9:32); (4) they will "come" to the LORD in the last days (Hos. 3:5); (5) today's condition of Israel is prophesied as without king, prince, sacrifice, sacred stones, ephod or idol (Hos. 3:4); (6) it is prophesied that they shall be "wanderers among the nations" (Hos. 9:17) and in the last days they shall be planted again in their own land (Amos 9:15);(7) Israel is a source of blessing for "in Abraham shall all the nations be blessed" (Gen. 12:2-3); (8) at last God will" pour out His Spirit" on Israel and they shall believe in Christ "whom they pierced" (Zech. 12:10); (9) finally, the mystery of Christ is that the Gentiles and Israel are heirs together in one body and share in the promise of Christ (Eph. 2:6).  There will come a time when they will not miss the ark of the covenant.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Divine Curriculum

"For it has been granted unto you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29).  "We glory in our afflictions," (cf. Romans 5:3).   Let's not suffer as offensive Christians, but for the offense of the cross, okay?
Job proclaims: "Shall we receive good at the hand of God? and shall we not receive evil [trouble]?" (Job 2:10). The psalmist says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous..." (Ps. 34:19)
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, cried in Lam.3:1: "I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath." But he also said: "He does not afflict willingly or grieve the children of men" (Lam. 3:33).

Suffering is the crucible that God uses as a change agent. A sculptor was asked how he could make a horse out of a rock of marble. He replied that he simply takes away everything that doesn't look like a horse! The psalmist said in Ps. 119:67, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word." "It is good that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes" (Ps. 119:71).

Suffering, whether it be an ordeal, punishment, discipline, trial, affliction, adversity, disaster, or troubles come to Christians as a given. They are part of Reality 101 and every student of Christ is enrolled in this school: consider it a joy to suffer for Christ's sake like the disciples did. Christ did not exempt himself from difficulty or pain of suffering. Paul shared that he wanted to obtain "the fellowship of sufferings" of Christ. Most of us have our "thorn in the flesh" like Paul and we all have our crosses to bear. Fortunately, our problems are "Father-filtered." Nothing happens apart from His providential guidance. Suffering is par for the course! It comes with the territory!

Adversity builds character and that is the good news. There is an upside of down, as it were. Suffering and success are correlated: Judson said that if you are suffering and not succeeding, it is so that others may succeed; if you are succeeding without suffering, it is so that others may succeed. So, lay out the welcome mat and welcome adversity and trials as friends and rejoice! They help us conform to the image of Christ. God sees the long-term result and the goal is Christ-likeness. If we let the world change us we are conformers if Christ changes us we are transformers. We have Christ's sympathy, for He did not exempt Himself from suffering.

Life is no bed of roses and God never promised us a rose garden. But we are not to get paranoid or develop a martyr's complex either, thinking the world is out to get us. "For it has been granted unto you not only to believe in Him but to suffer for His sake" (cf. Phil. 1:29). Christ learned obedience from what He suffered and was a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (cf. Isa. 53:3).

Grief or trouble makes us bitter or better. NB:  experience is not what happens to you but what happens in you.  The same sun melts the butter and hardens the clay. Christians are like tea bags that you don't know what they're like till their in hot water. We should refrain from pity parties and have the attitude of Viktor Frankl, Viennese psychiatrist captured by the Nazi's, that "this too shall pass." He said that man can survive any "what" if he has a "why." Our attitude cannot be taken from us and it determines our altitude.

When we see others suffer we are not to gloat or feel superior, but think, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Scripture says in Obadiah 12: "Do not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune." God wants to teach us by other's examples but may have to get our attention by other means. It has been said, "God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains." All suffering is to bring glory to God and conform us to His image that we may share in His holiness. God had said what great things Paul would suffer for the kingdom and some are mentioned in 2 Cor. 11:16ff such as shipwreck, stoning, exposure, scourging, et cetera. "When times are good to be happy; but when times are bad to consider: God has made the one as well as the other" (Eccl. 6:10).

Remember, that it only takes a night to make a mushroom, but many years to make an oak. A good summation would be as Job said: "The Lord knows the way that I take; when He has tried me I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Hebrews says not to despise the chastening of the Lord! Job said in Job 5:7 that "But man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward." And "Man, born of woman, is of few days and full of trouble" (cf. ob 14:1). So, why do bad things happen to good people? There are no good people in God's estimation and also, bad things happen to bad people, too.

Pertinent verses are as follows:  "He gets their attention through affliction, "(cf. Job 36:155).  "Many are the afflictions of the righteous..." (cf. Ps. 34:19). "I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." But God's crucible is Father-filtered so that all things work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). What faith Job has: "Though He slay me I shall trust Him" (cf. Job 13:15). Soli Deo Gloria!