Jeremiah 8:13-22
It can be a great blessing to experience the negative consequences of our actions. There is a lot of pain and suffering in our world. Sometimes we experience it as the result of our own bad choices. Sometimes it is because someone else has made bad choices, but we suffer the consequences. Other times, we can’t really explain why, we just know that bad things happen to good people.
When we suffer because of someone else’s bad choices, we often get angry. When we suffer, and there is no clear, direct cause, it can feel frustrating.
But when we experience suffering and pain because of our own sin, it can be a blessing in disguise. Pain can be a powerful teacher. Our parents can warn us time and again about the hot stove. But when we touch it for ourselves, it is a lesson we will never forget.
Pain can be a great incentive to turn to God in repentance. God does not desire for us to suffer, but God can use our painful experiences to identify unrepentant sin in our lives.
Author: Caleb Reynolds