Redemptive Suffering

 

    

1 Peter 4:1-2

 

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us* in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

NKJV

 

When I say the word "suffering" what is your first response?  Joy?  Rapturous delight?  Or most probably, dread and a desire to avoid it?  We humans are adverse to suffering and will go to great lengths to avoid it.  One of my sons had a real hatred for needles.   When he went to get his five-year-old school vaccinations, it took three people to hold him and one to administer the shot.  Don't get me wrong.  He is a very obedient son.  His aversion to needles was just more powerful!

Christ suffered the ultimate agony in His flesh.  For my sins- and yours, too.  He did all of that because He looked beyond His pain and saw a greater good.  He saw the salvation of our souls and our reconciliation to God.  Because the cause was so great, He was willing to suffer a proportionately great pain to birth it. 

We are to "arm ourselves with the same mind".  We have to recognize that any sacrifices we make to sow in the Spirit will be worth an eternal reward that is infinitely more valuable than the cost of our present suffering.  Want to demonstrate Christ's love, patience and kindness?  Then there will be suffering in the flesh- times you do not get your way; times that you want to scream bloody-murder and yet you hold your peace.  That is the type of suffering we are called to.  Christ paid the price for our salvation.  We do not need to add to it.  His sacrifice was sufficient.  Our suffering has to do with crucifying our sinful flesh and letting the nature of God come forth.

Many of our life's goals- weight loss, debt reduction, acquiring savings, all of these things are only birthed through suffering and self-denial.  Marathon runners become conditioned through sacrifice and suffering.  Anything in life worth having, must be worth a reasonable amount of sacrifice.

If we are going to live for the will of God and not for our sinful lusts, we will have to arm ourselves with this attitude on a daily basis.  As the Apostle Paul modeled for us the attitude of: "I die daily," we must, too, put aside our selfish ways each day and take up the cross of Christ.

Dear Lord, help me to follow in Your steps and be willing to do the hard stuff to reach  the goals you have set for my life.

In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri