Junko Yamada (female)
Account Closed
Hi, Saints.
This message is done by our pastor, my spritual American father, for monthly news letter at my church.It really spoke to me.Hope it helps you draw closer to God as well.
In 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, the Apostle Paul gives a list of his sufferings. The list includes beatings, shipwrecks, bandits, lack of sleep, hunger, cold, nakedness, and more. Did Paul suffer these things because of his sin? No! Paul suffered these things while faithfully serving the Lord. And in the same chapter, Paul speaks of visions and revelations and even of being caught up to paradise. Paul speaks of suffering and blessing in the same breath. In fact, he even boasts of both kinds of experiences. We may think of suffering and blessings as being opposites, but in the life of faith, both can draw us closer to the Lord. Paul delights in having the presence and the power of God in his life, and this is more important to him than temporary hardship. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul says, “That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” These words challenge our thinking. When are we strong? And what kind of strength do we rely on? Can we delight in suffering? We can if we trust in God’s power and love. We can if we fix our eyes on Jesus and remember always how He proved God’s love through His death on the cross. We live in a fallen world filled with suffering. But God uses suffering and hardship for our good and for the salvation of those around us. And, in the fullness of time, the bitter cup of sorrow and suffering will be washed away in the oceans of God’s love.
Written by Pastor Daniel E.
This message is done by our pastor, my spritual American father, for monthly news letter at my church.It really spoke to me.Hope it helps you draw closer to God as well.
In 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, the Apostle Paul gives a list of his sufferings. The list includes beatings, shipwrecks, bandits, lack of sleep, hunger, cold, nakedness, and more. Did Paul suffer these things because of his sin? No! Paul suffered these things while faithfully serving the Lord. And in the same chapter, Paul speaks of visions and revelations and even of being caught up to paradise. Paul speaks of suffering and blessing in the same breath. In fact, he even boasts of both kinds of experiences. We may think of suffering and blessings as being opposites, but in the life of faith, both can draw us closer to the Lord. Paul delights in having the presence and the power of God in his life, and this is more important to him than temporary hardship. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul says, “That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” These words challenge our thinking. When are we strong? And what kind of strength do we rely on? Can we delight in suffering? We can if we trust in God’s power and love. We can if we fix our eyes on Jesus and remember always how He proved God’s love through His death on the cross. We live in a fallen world filled with suffering. But God uses suffering and hardship for our good and for the salvation of those around us. And, in the fullness of time, the bitter cup of sorrow and suffering will be washed away in the oceans of God’s love.
Written by Pastor Daniel E.
