No Pain, No Gain!
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be
able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith
we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our
consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and
salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same
sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is
for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is
steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
Paul wrote this to the Corinthians to let them know that there is a
purpose for our sufferings. If we keep our eyes on God and His
promises to us, He will deliver us in His time, from any and all
afflictions. The purpose for our suffering is so that
When, not If, God sees us through our hard times, we will learn from our
experience, grow stronger in the race, and comfort those that in turn
who will walk through where we've walked. It is for our brethren's
benefit that God puts His soldiers through these trials.
Yes, I said "His Soldiers."
If you are going through major trials and tribulations here on this
earth, it's only because you have been chosen by God to become a
strong, fearless soldier of His army; you have been selected by Him
to fight the battles and protect His sheep from harm.
Show me all the men and women in the bible who suffered great trials and
tribulations and I will in turn show you mighty men and women of God
chosen by Him to protect His people. Abraham, Daniel, David, Ruth,
Esther, Sarah, Elijah, Jacob, Samson, Joshua, Moses, Joseph, John the
Baptist, Paul, Stephen. Need I go on?
All these people may have made some wrong turns here and there, or
suffered enormously, yet they never turned back.
They kept pressing. I guess you can compare our spiritual walk with that of a
body builder. Why do these men and women lift weights?
To get more strength & muscle mass, of course!
But do you realize the amount of pain they endure during these moments of training?
The constant stretching on muscles, pushing these to extreme limits
until it hurts. "No pain, no gain!", they claim.
But each time they exercise these muscles, they have to take it that much further, for
what caused their muscles pain yesterday, can now be tolerated by
them today! Now that they are "veterans" in this field, they are
able to help out the "rookies" because of their knowledge. They are
able to tell them what mistakes to avoid that will spare them of
unnecessary pain and/or serious injury. They are able to show them
the things to do that will help them develop faster, and make them
stronger with less strain. These men and women are the soldiers in
their field that are respected not because of what level they have
reached, but because they were able to endure the enormous strain and
pressed on.
Enter the soldiers of Christ. Same concept, same principle, same
goal. We are to suffer so that we can get stronger in our Christian
walk. We are to get stronger so that we may battle at higher levels
and be able to stand in the last day. We are to suffer so that we
may be a comfort to others: That we may console them if they are
troubled, but even better, that we may recognize when our brother or
sister is about to fall and hopefully be able to steer them away
Before they do. We are to get stronger so that we may be able to
pick them up and even carry them until they are able to
stand on their own. We are to learn from our mistakes so that we may be able to
instruct others on how to avoid it, and maybe show them easier ways to
endure this mighty Christian race.
Let me leave you with two scriptural references to dwell upon:
1 Peter 4:13: "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may
be glad also with exceeding joy."
1Peter 4:16: "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."
Father. I come to You in Jesus' precious name.
I ask not that You keep us from the trials and tribulations that lie ahead, for they are
necessary for our development & training as Your soldiers in this
real "Holy War." Not against flesh & blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,"
according to Ephesians 6:12, dear God. I ask that You keep an eye
out for us, that You order our steps, Lord, and always provide a way
out for us. I ask that You always show us that no matter what
situation we are in, You have not left us nor forsaken us.
Send to us other brothers and sisters that have been scarred before us and
escaped due to Your mercy & grace, Lord.
Keep us humble at all times, especially when You put us in a position to help others,
Lord. Let us help others out of love & without
judgment when they fall, keeping us aware that if not by Your mercy & grace, that could
be us in that same situation. Father, I ask that You show Yourself
to those in here that are struggling with their trials, Lord.
Show them that they will be fine, as long as they keep their eyes on You
and depend on You only. Teach them to cast their burdens and cares
at the foot of the cross, to lay these things down, because as long
as they think they can handle it, they'll have to, for You won't!
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
God bless you all.
YBIC,
Joe.
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