“The afflictions of the righteous are many, but the Lord rescues him from them all.” (Psalm 34:19) A new Christian was telling a woman at work about his health problems.The woman declared,“Oh, then you can’t be a real Christian, because Christians don't suffer!” What!? The young Christian man knew she was wrong.
He asked, “What about the apostle Paul? He suffered a lot.” Her confident response? “Then he couldn’t have been a true Christian!” What!? Her response indicated her terrible error.
Paul lists many times when he suffered: “In far more labors…far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times… beaten with rods, once…stoned, three times…shipwrecked, a night and a day…spent adrift at sea…on frequent journeys, in dangers from my countrymen…dangers in the city…in the wilderness, dangers at sea…among false brothers…in labor and hardship…many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst…in cold and exposure…daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches…” (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). “You also endured…sufferings …the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets…They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all people, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always reach the limit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them fully” (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).
Knowing Paul’s personal sufferings, both physical and emotional, helps us understand that even faithful ministers of the Gospel suffer.
“…We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…we have…by faith…grace…and we celebrate in hope…we also celebrate in our tribulations, KNOWING that tribulation brings about perseverance… perseverance, proven character…proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us…While we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us…having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him… through the death of His Son …we shall be saved by His life…we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Romans 5:1-6, 8-11).
God will not condemn you to hell if you turn your heart and your life over to Jesus!
You may be suffering today, but God still loves you! We’ll look at more Bible teachings on this topic soon.