August 16, 2024

Despite Suffering

1 Thessalonians 1:6 (KJV) And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:

Isn’t it wonderful that the salvation of a soul is not limited by circumstances, afflictions, and suffering? God can swoop in and change the spiritual condition of a soul from standing in opposition to Him to standing in spiritual agreement with Him. It is often true that a meeting with God comes in the most challenging times, not during fun, rest, and relaxation. Each person has a limit of what they can try to handle apart from God and has a different level for falling apart. This is why this verse speaks about much affliction, as typically, a person must come to the end of themselves before they can meet God.

Yes, despite the pain each child of God faces when they try to do things on their own, once they recognize God, seeing Him for the first time, all other things at work in their life dim in comparison to Him and the truth of His Word. Think of Saul actively searching out followers of God and seeking their harm and imprisonment instead of identifying the value God places on each person. Then, one day, God stops Paul on the road and causes him to drop to the ground upon meeting Him personally. God does not make his life easy once he knows the truth; instead, he changes his name to Paul and is with him through a myriad of troubling situations and even times of danger and near-death experiences as Paul chooses to live for God.

Just the same, each person experiences much affliction in their journey but has the joy of the Lord at work despite the hardships and trials they face as they walk with God and sojourn on this wicked earth for a time.

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  • MatěȷEnglish
    0•11 days ago

    Why do people dislike suffering so much? I understand it as an indicator of that something is wrong. So trying to eliminate suffering without figuring out what causes it is like fighting global warming by destroying thermometers in my perspective.

    I think that suffering in this life is not ultimately significant, although it has ultimately significant causes. For every person, suffering in this life fits into one of these cases (from a Christian perspective considering also other worldviews):

    • If the person ceases to exist, the suffering is forgotten, and there is noone who would experience any suffering.
    • If the person goes to heaven, all causes of suffering are resolved.
    • If the person goes to hell, there is suffering regardless of suffering in this life. Although not that hell is bad because there is suffering; there is suffering because it is bad (in various ways).
    • If the person reincarnates, previous suffering is forgotten, although there may be some karma according to which past lives affect future lives, so buddhists try to reach nirvana, which is similar to the second case.
    • @theilleistsEnglish
      0•3 days ago

      Cool, what’s your address? I’ll come torture you since it doesn’t matter.

      • MatěȷEnglish
        1•2 days ago

        Although I would not let just anyone torture me if the choice was mine, this worldview entails that I should be able to suffer torture for an ultimately good cause.

      • MatěȷEnglish
        1•2 days ago

        It follows from my previous comment that the only way to torture is to make something wrong, and I would not let you do that.

        But that was a serious question. What is a people’s case against suffering?