Rejoicing…and Suffering

Dear Friends,

This Sunday, we’ll be completing Chapter 3 of Philippians and looking at Chapter 4 and what it means to “Rejoice in the Lord.” In 1 Peter 4:12-13, the apostle Peter says something similar about rejoicing, too. Actually, rejoicing…and suffering! Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Peter looks at the question of suffering from just about every angle in this little letter. He adds more to our bank of valuable information in this passage. He tells us that we aren’t to be surprised by the painful trial we find ourselves going through right now. Many believers are quite shocked to find that after coming to faith their lives get more complicated than before. Maybe it’s because they were raised on the come-to-Jesus-and-life-will-be-rosy theology that seems to be so prevalent today. But it wasn’t so with early Christianity. They knew what they were doing when they came to faith.

It was no surprise or shock to them that in the life of faith they were entering a period of difficulty and often suffering. Their discipleship meant that they would have to stand against the wrong and stand for the right, to say and do things that were unpopular or even dangerous. They understood that as their master suffered so would they. Remember Paul made similar points (Philippians 1:29)? If they were to be Christ’s body, then they would naturally experience what he experienced.

The good news Peter brings us here is that when we go through such painful things in this life we should rejoice. The rejoicing is not that we are suffering (as if in some creepy way we are supposed to like it), but that we are suffering for a purpose and for a Person. We are sharing the pain with our Lord. And since we are sharing in his pain so shall we share in his unspeakable glory. Therefore, we have a reason not only to rejoice, but also to be overjoyed. The New Testament writers were all in agreement that compared to the wonderful future guaranteed to the followers of Christ the trials and troubles of the present weren’t even worth considering.

Let’s resolve to trust God and focus on his best plans for our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Let’s try and throw away the worry load and lighten our burdens…that’s what Jesus commands us to do.

Hope to see you at our Bible study on Sunday morning at 11:00 hrs.

In Christ’s love,
John

Photo by Ref54 via Flickr