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The sin of disobedience by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden resulted in the fall of man and the consequent suffering of mankind throughout human history.  God, through the sacrifice of His one and only Son Jesus at Calvary brought reconciliation of man to Himself.  As believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to God, but human suffering on earth remains till we see Him face to face in glory.

Question: How should Christians view this matter of suffering for God?

The Apostle Paul as a Christian witness for God went through much suffering when he decided to follow Christ.  He was imprisoned many times, flogged severely and exposed to death again and again.  Five times he received from the Jews thirty nine lashes, three times beaten with rods at the hands of the Romans and stoned once.  He was shipwrecked three times, exposed to all kinds of dangers, known hunger and thirst, often gone without food and was repeatedly cold and naked.  (Ref. 2 Cor. 11:23-27).  Most people going through such sufferings would have turned bitter against God and life.  However, Apostle Paul by the strength of the Holy Spirit in him viewed his sufferings in Christ differently.  His hope was fixed on his Lord Jesus Christ and on the future glory to be revealed.  He wrote in his letters to the churches: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18)and “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

The Apostle Peter exhorted us in 1 Pet. 4:12-19 to expect sufferings as believers and our sufferings should not be as a result of our own wrong doings.  Our sufferings for God should be experienced with joy in Jesus Christ, in commitment to God who is always faithful and in praise to God!  Godly sufferings help us to be persevering, shape our character and strengthen our hope in Christ.  The Apostle Paul further reminds us to rejoice in our sufferings for God (Ref. Rom. 5:3, 4)
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We need to continue always to do good despite suffering for God.  In Christ, we can have the joy and strength to do His work.  However, we may get weary and discouraged at times through our suffering for God.  At such times we need to remember God’s promise to us that we will reap the harvest at the proper time if we keep doing good in His Name, for His sake and in His strength.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give us” (Gal. 6:9).

Is your faith and hope firmly grounded in Christ as you encounter suffering for God?