Suffering, Pain, Misfortune, Misery- LIFE

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Permalink Reply by TJay on May 21, 2011 at 7:35am

I have been a Christian for most of my life and have been a minister as well.  Over time I have established a relationship with God that has grown stronger over time. 

On August 8, 2005 my 15 year old daughter died accidentally.  This was so tragic that there are no words to describe the amount of pain that my wife and I felt on that day.  Since then, I have been asked many times, "how can you serve a God that would allow that to happen?"  My answer is simple.  I can't begin to explain the ways of God, after all, "His ways are higher than mine."  However, what I can attest to is that on the darkest day of my existence my God met me at that time and sustained me through.  He came to me as a loving Father and loved me through that horrible tragedy.  The worst or best of circumstances in our lives should never dictate our daily relationship with God.  When we choose to come close to God, He will respond and come close to you.  He has promised this.

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Permalink Reply by RoyW on May 21, 2011 at 7:41am

Tjay,

What a powerful reply. God has truly blessed you with insight through this experience. I have seen some that have allowed circumstances in life defeat them. Others, like you, have become stronger. Faith in Him is the goal. We are all going to go at some point. I am grateful that He has given you this insight.

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on May 25, 2011 at 12:38pm

Psalm 37
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away. .

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

 

9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

 

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.

 

11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;

 

13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

 

14The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.

 

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

 

16Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

 

17for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

 

18The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

 

19In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

 

20But the wicked will perish:
The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

 

21The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

 

22those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.

 

23If the LORD delights in a man’s way,
he makes his steps firm;

 

24though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

 

25I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

 

26They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

 

27Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.

 

28For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
They will be protected forever,
but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

 

29the righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

 

30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.

 

31The law of his God is in his heart;
his feet do not slip.

 

32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
seeking their very lives;

 

33but the LORD will not leave them in their power
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

 

34Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

 

35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

 

36but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

 

37Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a futureb for the man of peace.

 

38But all sinners will be destroyed;
the futurec of the wicked will be cut off.

 

39The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

 

40The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on May 25, 2011 at 12:41pm

>>I'd like to think that there are adversities in life in order to make us stronger, build character and give us a newer and profound perspective on life.

Right on!

 ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1

 

>>so that we can learn to appreciate the smaller things.

 

Not really, so we can be established in eternal principals/truths that make us people who are not like the waves that come and go, unstable, but we become people who experience joy through it all and live in a state of peace that goes beyond anything this world can offer. Truths that guard our heart’s through anything God allows to come our way. We depend upon His Spirit, His truth and not our might or power. It is so we can understand who God is and who we are in Him and through him.

 

>>Pain and suffering I believe are a given when we live in a world of free will. Plus, death, which is obviously inevitable, usually involves some sort of suffering and pain. It's the price we pay to live.

 

Indeed we live in a fallen world in which we exercise our ability to choose according to the liberties granted to us by a beautiful and holy God. This earth is not our home, we belong to an everlasting kingdom. We are strangers, sojourners here for a bit, to learn who God is, how He loves us and who we are in Him. God gives and takes away and that is perfectly ok, we belong to Him and He is not evil. He is beautiful and good. God has never done anything evil. Death is the price of sin, not the price we pay to live. It is the consequence of disobedience. When God saves us we are redeemed, bought back by the sacrifice of Christ and that redemption has amazing realities that come into effect the moment we are born again, but there are other benefits of it which are still to come. The redemption of our bodies and this world are still to come, so for now the consequences of sin remain, but hahaha Hallelujah, now we can be free from all the internal suffering of those consequences to the point that we rejoice in the tribulation for multiple reasons. The problem is that the majority of Christians never get to experience such a maturity/freedom or only experience it briefly, but do not live in such a real and attainable state, because they do not abide in Christ as they should. It is no body’s fault but mine the song says and it’s simple truth is very applicable to us, when it comes to why there are so many of us in defeat. Being in freedom is not a state we attain by understanding everything or being super human, but by simply abiding in Christ. Is part of the fruit of the Spirit. God works it in us as our minds are renewed by the washing of the word. It is not complicated to grasp intellectually, it is very easy to grasp the truth, but the flesh wars against the Spirit and there is the conflict and the reason for our very real struggle.

 

6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^a made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

 

>>I'd like to know why some people have it better (or so it seems) than others.

 

Every single individual has different struggles, similar ones or very much the same as his neighbors in Africa or Beverly Hills, California. Millions of testimonies would attest to that. Some are born into healthy, wealthy Christian families where God’s tangible/physical blessings are very abundant for them, yet they have their own set of issues, pains and struggles. Others are born in slumps and extreme poverty; they encounter their own struggles and pains. It is more as you say that it seems that some have it better and yet they do not. I been around those who acquire wealth through evil ways and believe me, that life has its very temporal pleasures, but the torment of it, it’s very real and the consequences are enormous. The only ones that truly have it better in this world is us, the born again believer, we can enjoy the best of both worlds even as we are being persecuted. There is pleasure and joy in being persecuted for righteousness.

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 1 Peter 3:14

 

>>Some say "the nice guys finish last." I feel like that saying applies to good people; "good people finish last.

 

No one is good but God, but I understand what you are saying, the person with morals and values does at times appear to finish last and at times they do. The born again believer however who’s righteousness is imputed to him by God and walks in the Spirit, now that person may appear to finish last, but they are far from that. The truth is that the child of God stores treasures in heaven and at times is also called to live free, joyous and at peace through stuff that would devastate the unbeliever.

 

Matthew 19:26 (New International Version)

 ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 

The beauty of the truths I am sharing here is that it doesn’t matter how long one has been in Christ to be mature and established in this truths as long as one abides in him. I experience such freedom, peace and joy while still a baby Christian and today – I love Him Much More than before. His faithfulness and grace have overwhelmed me.

 

>>I keep hearing, "their time will come." Really? I highly doubt it.

 

We pray these folks repent and believe in Christ so they do not spend eternity in hell. We pray God turns their heart’s around as He did ours. Almost all the wicked get theirs here and in the afterlife. There are hundredths of prisons and destroyed life’s that believed and followed the ways of Satan.

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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on May 25, 2011 at 1:06pm

David, this was SPOT ON:

>>"Not really, [it is] so we can be established in eternal principals/truths that make us people who are not like the waves that come and go, unstable, but we become people who experience joy through it all and live in a state of peace that goes beyond anything this world can offer."

 

I think it was C.S. Lewis who said (roughly) "I know Heaven is my home, because there are hungers and desires for which nothing in this world can satisfy". 

 

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Permalink Reply by Kayla on May 25, 2011 at 6:17pm

I'm unsure of thinking that death is the price we pay for sinning. I think death is just a natural course and we move on so that others can come into the world. If death is because we sin then why do children or babies die so young...? Why does someone who serves the community and follows Christ die at 25, but someone who murdered people rots in jail till he is 70?

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on May 25, 2011 at 8:06pm

Death is a result of the fall. Due to Adam and Eve's sin death has entered in. We each are guilty of personal sin and deserve death. Our only hope is faith in Christ that leads one to be born-again.

 

In light of eternity, 25 years vs. 70 years is of no consequence, for all will one day meet their Maker. The Christian who dies at 25 sees Jesus quicker than his peer that lives to be 70. There is no sadness in death for the Christian, for the true believer is secure in Jesus. The key for the believer is how can I glorify Christ in this life while I have it?

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Permalink Reply by RoyW on May 26, 2011 at 4:47am

LT,

This new movie that is coming out called "Courageous" helps to emphasize your point. A young girl dies at the age of 11 but changes an entire community. This is the correct perspective. It appears to be suffering but that is only because our faith is so small. Sometimes we fail to see the bigger picture.

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Permalink Reply by ScribeD on May 25, 2011 at 1:27pm

Prov 24:1-4 says "Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking.Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established"

 

and

 

Psalm 73:2-3 says "But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked"

 

Psalm 73:16-19 "When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me--Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors"

 

 

Kayla, we have the blessing and approval of the Father, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the comfort of the scriptures and the abiding fellowship of the Holy Spirit with us. We have the fellowship of the saints, both of the present time and those who have gone before us.  These are worth more than silver and gold, more than all the pleasures of the world. Ultimately, we have the comfort of knowing that our end is destined for glory; peace and mercy abide with us. We walk in the strength of these things as we trust in Christ. No temporary pleasures can measure up to that. I pity those whom I once envied and I regret that I ever envied them at all.

 

 

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