PODCAST
The Best Suffering?
February 9th, 2018
1 Peter 4:12-19
We are constantly bombarded with stories of failure and shame. Great rising stars meet their equally brilliant end in a crash of disaster. People we admire end their own lives, and the wealthy lose everything they own. Suffering appears to be common in this life.
We are encouraged that suffering for Christ is the best form of suffering possible. It is better to suffer doing good than to suffer for having murdered or cheated or hurt another. When we suffer for doing good, we should rejoice. The challenge is not to enjoy suffering but to realize that everyone faces it at some time. The best condition under which we can face trials is in Christ. We rejoice, not because we are hurting, but because we are facing this pain under the best possible conditions. When I suffer for doing good, I am surrounded by grace. I am lifted up in the prayers of other, the family of Christ embraces me, and I am under the manifest presence of the Almighty. There is no better way to suffer than in the protective hands of an all-powerful God.
Author: Robin Radi
