PODCAST
Joy In And Out Of Suffering
January 18th, 2020
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
I have to admit that I don’t know a whole lot about suffering. My life has been fairly easy and mundane. My faith has not cost me much when compared to believers in other parts of the world. I live a fairly comfortable life serving God as faithfully as I can. So, when I read 1 Thessalonians 1:6 about finding faith in the midst of great suffering it gives me pause. Would I continue to be joy filled if I had to suffer as other do?
That may be the wrong question for me to ask. If the joy we talk about so often is from the Holy Spirit, then the circumstances are not what is most important. If we let our suffering, or even our lack of suffering, be our focus, then we have lost out on what is truly important. When we know and follow Jesus, and He is our focus, then we receive joy as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Let us seek after this God who promises to be with us and fill us with His joy no matter how easy or hard we think our lives are.
Author: Jennifer Couchman
