Monday, December 22, 2014

Suffering

Today (14 Dec) we concluded a semester long Sunday School class on 1st and 2nd Peter.  In 1Peter, Peter spends a lot of time talking about suffering.  He does so because much of the Christian church was suffering one way or another.  Peter himself was in prison in Rome as he wrote the letters.

To summarize, Peter says that we can suffer for two reasons.  He says some of our suffering is self-inflicted.   We make bad decisions and these decisions lead to suffering.  The remedy for such suffering is simple, stop making bad decisions.  As John Wayne said it, "Life is tough.  It's a lot tougher if you are stupid."

So how do we avoid making bad decisions?  Well G^d is the sole source of consistent top decisions.  We ought to do two things:  1) Read G^d's word so we know what to do, and 2) when G^d's written word isn't specific to our situation, we can pray and ask G^d for His guidance.

But Peter says that some suffering isn't self-inflicted.  He says, "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."  1 Ptr 4:16.

Many Christians, especially those in Higher Education, are afraid of suffering for the name of the Christ.  Instead we ought to be willing to stand up and if we suffer, rejoice.

Like so many other principles, it is easier said than done.  

Only by G^d's grace...

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