There is no merit in just plain suffering. In the Kingdom to come it is said that "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Thankfully, the coming fullness of the kingdom of God has no suffering in it. We have, however, much that can be gained by our willingness to suffer as we minister to the pains of mankind, in general, and specifically Israel, in this age.
Jesus had to set His face like flint to accomplish the destiny God had for Him. Refusing to suffer would have cost Him the victory of His earthly race and His ability to inherit His people—not only to purchase our salvation but the right to lead us as the righteously Suffering Servant. If Jesus had to be determinedly all-in, should I expect an easier path?
God determines where we will be dispatched and what we must speak, and this brings us to the point I wish to highlight most: we can suffer because we may believe, whether it is true or not, that we have labored in vain. Our best efforts may seem to fail. All may seem lost. Yet there is no anguish that we need to stifle in this process. We do not need to be heroic while being obedient. We are not the final judge of whether we have succeeded or failed. We stand or fall on our obedience, not on our success.
Bearing His Name, despite our own imperfections, is our great honor. Our many mistakes are rich fodder to learn the kind heart of God firstly toward ourselves so that we can share that honestly with others. If you are thinking that is too hard a task, know that He has already addressed that handily in this passage: “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth.” He is up for hard! He will not give up on you or His mission till the ends of the earth are brought under His just rule.
Founder & Co-Director of The Malachi Network, Rich Stevenson offers this guest article to FAI Publishing with a beautiful examination of Jesus' restorative walk with Peter. This simple conversation, and Jesus' simple charge to Peter, illuminates the simple obedience to our God and King required of all disciples.
Being in a desert (whether figuratively or literally) is far from easy or comforting, but it is rich with spiritual treasure. We have many examples in scripture of the intense trial that can occur in deserts, followed by intense outpouring and provision. What do you get when olives, coconuts, seeds, or nuts are hard pressed on every side until what’s inside of them flows out? In other words, what do you get when good things are crushed?
Oil.
Paul was obsessed with the return of Jesus, even when he knew he wouldn’t be alive to see it happen. He closed his last letter to his beloved son and disciple with exhortations and warnings concerning the end of the age, even knitting his own life of service to “that day” and “His appearing.” Why? Because war ends when Jesus comes. On that great and glorious Day, every son can return home and melt his gun into a plow. Until then, every soldier must work hard, suffer strategically, and ignore, defy, and avoid the entanglements of civilian privilege and luxury “to please the One who enlisted him.” We get to serve our Commander, and we want to feel His smile on our lives.
Revelation 21:8 says “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” To many, it is a surprise that the cowardly are listed along with murders, sorcerers, and idol worshipers. What makes cowardice so deadly, and why should we treat it seriously? Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom in the Parable of the Talents offers some surprising insights.
From the beginning of time until the present day, people of faith have endured “torture…Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. Two millennia have passed since He promised to “not leave us as orphans.” How then do we navigate the tension of living in a time where promises of God have not yet been fulfilled? We rest in the hand that holds us even when we’re sifted.
If you don’t fully believe in eternity, you will always naturally preserve your natural life, because you think it’s all you have. But the higher your view of an eternal kingdom, the lesser your view of your finite life now—which means you’ll spend it so much differently. So, how often do you think about eternity?
