God blesses and disciplines. He comforts and corrects. He meddles in our affairs. He never leaves us alone. Why should He? He loves us too much to leave us where we are. He wants the best in us and from us. He wants to mature us. Sometimes we resist Him, like a … Continue reading God Wrestled With Jacob
Category: Suffering & Persecution
The Apostle Paul – Chosen to Suffer for Christ
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1-2) Christianity, … Continue reading The Apostle Paul – Chosen to Suffer for Christ
The House of Mourning
“The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure” (Eccl 7:4).
O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head! – Anne Ross Cousin
O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head! Our load was laid on Thee; Thou stoodest in the sinner's stead – To bear all ill for me. A victim led, Thy blood was shed; Now there's no load for me. Death and the curse were in our cup – O Christ, 'twas full for Thee! But … Continue reading O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head! – Anne Ross Cousin
Christ to the Cross
The Raising of the Cross was painted by Rembrandt sometime around A.D. 1633. In the painting the artist portrayed himself as one among many who placed Christ on the cross to bear the sin of all mankind. You can see Rembrandt in the center of the painting wearing his painter’s hat. Rembrandt is telling everyone that it was his sin that sent Christ to the cross, and that it was his hands that lifted Him up to die. There is a richness of Christian theology in the painting. We must not see Christ dying at a distant time or place. We must not see Christ dying at a distant time or place. Like Rembrandt, we must see ourselves at the place where Christ died. We should see our hands driving the nails and lifting the cross. We must see Jesus bearing all our sin, and paying the penalty of the Father’s wrath that rightfully belongs to us. Afterward, we must see ourselves risen with Him into newness of life.
The Lord’s Day of Vengeance
Many in the world today look to gods and religions that are ultimately no greater than those who support them. Sadly, many who defend them often resort to violence when their theological presuppositions are threatened. Unlike those who feel they must rise in violence to defend their religious beliefs, the mature Christian knows that … Continue reading The Lord’s Day of Vengeance
God Allows Suffering
A truth of Scripture is that living by faith may result in great blessing, and other times may result in great suffering. The believer is not to concern himself with the end result of either blessing or suffering, but is to live by faith and advance toward spiritual maturity. In Hebrews chapter 11, the … Continue reading God Allows Suffering
A Theological Look at Suffering
Everyone suffers. It’s not really a question of who will and who won’t, but how much and how often? Most people want to know why they suffer, if there’s any purpose to suffering, or if there’s anything they can do to minimize it. Suffering is a perpetual and universal feature of the human … Continue reading A Theological Look at Suffering
Suffering and Depression
Suffering touches us all. It moves and shapes us in ways we never imagine. It breaks us down and builds us up, but it never leaves us where it finds us. In Scripture we learn that God’s power is magnified in our weaknesses and that suffering reveals our true state as weak creatures who need the Lord in our lives for strength and guidance (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
Early Church Persecutions
Persecution is the suffering or pressure, mental, moral, or physical, which authorities, individuals, or crowds inflict on others, especially for opinions or beliefs, with a view to their subjection by recantation, silencing, or, as a last resort, execution. (G. W. Bromily, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, 1986, p. 771) For I am the least … Continue reading Early Church Persecutions
The Value of Suffering
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our … Continue reading The Value of Suffering