2 CORINTHIANS 1: 3-7...
3/ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement,
4/ who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.
5/ For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.
6/ If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation; if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
7/ Our hope for you is firm, for we know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement.
2 CORINTHIANS 4: 8-11...
8/ We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
9/ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;
10/ always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
11/ For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
No matter what we face, what we are tested though, the negative NEVER overtakes us, IF we ARE IN CHRIST THE LORD; there is ALWAYS some experience of rescue, of salvation! THE LORD has PROMISED that HE IS with THE FAITHFUL, and HE IS FAITHFUL to HIS promises!!!
Both the negative and the positive sides of the experience are grounded christologically. Ultimately, everything is ordered, even beyond the community, toward *GOD*!!!
It seems SO strange to us that we are to remain content, when we are suffering, and that we are to count our sufferings as joy, yet, SO much do we LEARN from all that happens to us, and particularly those matters which TEACH us to TURN to THE LORD; those matters which leave us no other recourse than to move CONFIDENTLY forward IN FAITH, TRUST, and BELIEF of HIM, HIS WILL, HIS WAYS, HIS WORD...
Sometimes our afflictions, even suffering from illness, and disease, are products of our complacence, and other mentalities removed from *GOD*! Sometimes they are present to LEAD us to a breakthrough, to victory, to GLORY HIM! Thus, even when we are weakened by the malfunction of our bodies, the spirit HAS to remain INTACT WITH THE MOST HIGH! There is great wisdom in this!!!
Being a sensitive person, I really detest human suffering, though, I TRUST that there IS GOOD, and IS *GOD*, in all matters under the Heavens, so, this is the mentality that supplies, and supports me through everything...
A walk with *GOD* does NOT ensure that we will not suffer; instead, we stand ASSURED that HE IS WITH US, and WILL LEAD us according to HIS WILL, and WILL sustain us as HIS WILL decrees! We have the REALIZATION that as HE suffered for LIFE, so shall we; for what we suffer in the now, is nothing compared to the GLORY which is yet to come FOR THE FAITHFUL...
IF we could just LEARN to go through the negatives VOID of attaching to them, life would move more smoothly! IF we could LEARN TO BELIEVE IN DEPTH, IN HIM, HIS WILL, and mysterious WAY, we could be more POSITIVE in the face of the negatives! When we cling to negatives, we suffer more, bottom line, for many reasons, but foremost, because our FAITH is clearly, NOT strong enough to move in THE LORD...
MATTHEW 16: 24-26...
24/ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
25/ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
26/ What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walked in, is led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoever he goes.
Let him deny himself. If self-denial be a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teach us. Let him take up his cross. The cross is here put for every trouble that befalls us. We are apt to think we could bear another's cross better than our own; but that is best which is appointed us, and we ought to make the best of it. We must not by our rashness and folly pull crosses down upon our own heads, but must take them up when they are in our way.
If any man will have the name and credit of a disciple, let him follow Christ in the work and duty of a disciple. If all worldly things are worthless when compared with the life of the body, how forcible the same argument with respect to the soul and its state of never-ending happiness or misery!
Thousands lose their souls for the most trifling gain, or the most worthless indulgence, nay, often from mere sloth and negligence. Whatever is the object for which men forsake Christ, that is the price at which Satan buys their souls. Yet one soul is worth more than all the world. This is Christ's judgment upon the matter; he knew the price of souls, for he redeemed them; nor would he underrate the world, for he made it. The dying transgressor cannot purchase one hour's respite to seek mercy for his perishing soul. Let us then learn rightly to value our souls, and Christ as the only Saviour of them.
Let us ALWAYS PRAY for the world; there are endless issues facing us, every moment, hour, and day! Let us PRAISE HIM IN ADVANCE for HIS PRESENCE, and assistance in all of our struggles, and let us WORSHIP HIS HOLY name, for NOTHING else is more imperative, now, and forever! Let us FIND the good in the moments, hours, and days, for they DO exist, and ARE gifts of THE ALMIGHTY LORD! THANK HIM, and be grateful, for things could, surely, be worse...
REV. LWINSOR © 2013
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
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