Loading... TURN YOUR SUFFERING INTO GREAT JOY - Philippians 2:17-18
Tuesday, January 31st, 2006Philippians 2:17-18 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
Paul had served God for many years. He had led many heathen to Christ Jesus. He served God doing HIS will without murmuring and disputing. Paul had faced many trials as a result of his faith. However, these trials were his joy and were the joy of other Christians. Paul however knew of one more sacrifice that he was to give. This was the pouring out of his blood for the cause of Christ.
Paul understood that he was going to die for Christ’s sake. His death was not to be a time of sorrow for the church but was to be a time of rejoicing. His death was to be a time of rejoicing because Paul was home with the Lord and the Lord counted him worthy to suffer death just as Jesus suffered an unjust death.
Over fifty years ago, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and three others went into the Amazon jungle and laid down their lives for the cause of Christ. Life magazine picked up the story about five men who were willing to lay down their lives to preach the gospel to savages. While the world scorned the futility of these men’s life, the story of these five men touched the church and opened many Christian’s eyes to the mission fields.
These five men may have lost their life, but their lives were not in vain. Their lives were not in vain because they had joy in laying down their lives for the cause of Christ. They were doing what God had burdened their heart to do. God used several of the wives to go into the jungle and share the gospel with the tribe that killed their husbands. Many were saved because of the sacrifice of five young missionaries were willing to make.
Faith is obeying what God has instructed you to do. You must first hear God and hearing comes by the word of God. While God many not call you to lay down your life for HIS sake, you will at some time in your life if you are living your life for HIM, suffer. Your suffering for the cause of Christ can come in many forms. However your suffering comes, you must not be sorry for yourself but instead, take joy in what the Lord is doing through you. Not only do you need to have joy, but you need to instruct other Christians to also have joy that Christ counted you worthy to suffer for HIS sake.
When a mother brings a child into the world, she suffers great pain. However, the pain that she suffered is quickly dissipated by the joy that she experiences by holding her child in her arms. People do not come and mourn with her for the pain that she has suffered but they come and congratulate her on the new joy in her life.
Your suffering is for the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom. God has a purpose for all suffering and you need to learn to see God’s hand behind the suffering of those who are called of God. Rather than mourn for the suffering that others face, learn to see God working everything for good and learn how to take joy in the work of God in not only your life but also the life of others. Suffering must be endured so that God’s will might be done. Paul had to lay down his life so that the gospel would be spread even more. God has a purpose for your suffering. While you may not understand what it is today, learn to lean on Christ and wait patiently for HIM to reward your faith.