March 19th, 2017

              Season’s Of Suffering (I Peter 4:12)
 
I Peter 4:12, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
 
We all will go through seasons of sufferings. The truth is, God told us not to be surprised when suffering hits. He ordained it for His own Son; He works through the trials to grow and shape us. Adversity and trials can be expected in the Christian life. I Peter 4:12, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Most of us go through life thinking that we can dodge the difficult things; illness, bankruptcy, job termination, etc. We also convince ourselves that these things might get the other person but it’s not going to get me. Then before we know it, we are hit right between the eyes. Most of the time we are unprepared both emotionally and spiritually.
 
Isn’t it true that this furnace helps to clarify what’s important? Suffering pushes everything else aside and provokes us to say, “I want to live my life in a way that honors and pleases God.” We’re to live for God’s purpose. Suffering makes that very real.

Are you in that season of suffering right now? Some people have suffered the same thing you’re experiencing right now and they have become great instruments for the glory of God. Other people go through the very same trial and become hard and angry for the rest of their life. It has been said, “The same sun that melts ice also hardens clay.” The choice is really ours - How do you view your trial?
                         
There is a purpose for your trial. You either have gone through a trial, are currently in a trial, or will be facing a trial soon. Don’t be surprised when suffering come. In fact, expect it and plan for it. There is no better time than this moment to prove the promises of God.
 
The test for God's people has always been adversity. When we study the lives of Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, Paul, & the Disciples, we realize that God often leads us through great trials in preparation for some greater service or blessings. Whenever bad things happen to a believer, God can bring good things out of them.
 
God may be using the trials to test and strengthen our walk with Him. He may be testing us so that we can see whether we are truly determined to do His will or not.
 
It's the shells that are found in the depths of the sea are the ones much more valuable than debris washed up on a beach. It's what the people of God learn through trials and sufferings far outshine anything discovered anywhere else.
 
Prayer, Father, everything that comes from You is for Your glory and ultimately my good. That includes my suffering. Help me to see suffering as a gift from You to grow me and make me more like Your Son, Jesus Christ. Too often I crave comfort in this world. Too often I crave ease. Too often I crave the path of least resistance. Forgive me for looking to comfort in this world when true and lasting comfort can only be found in You. Help me not to waste my suffering but to use it to glorify You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.