" SUFFERING "

Come on in and sit a spell, Suffering is something unfortunately we all experience at least every now and then in our lives. " Suffering " is defined in this manner:The experience of enduring pain (2) To bear loss, damage, or injury. Sometimes hardship comes as a result of obeying God. Are you following God but still Suffering - or Suffering even worse than before? If your life is miserable, don't assume you have fallen out of God's favor. You may be suffering for doing good in an evil world. Those of you who know me, always hear me talk about Job and the testing that he and his family experienced. Now Job is portrayed as a wealthy man of upright character who loves God. Yet God allows Satan to destroy his flocks, his possessions, his children, and his health. Job refuses to give up on God, even though he does not understand why this is happening to him. Just as Job you and I must trust God when we do not understand the difficulties we face. Now if you have not read the Book Of Job please do yourself a favor and discover the power of God. Those of us who have read Job are aware of the calamity and Suffering in the Book Of Job, we must remember that we live in a fallen world where good behavior is not always rewarded and bad behavior is not always punished. When we see a notorious criminal prospering or an innocent child in pain, we say, " That's Wrong. " And it is. Sin has twisted justice and made our world unpredictable and ugly. To summarize the Book Of Job shows a good man Suffering for no apparent fault of his own. Sorry to say folks, our world is like that. But Job's story does not end in despair. Through Job's life we can see that faith in God is justified even when our situations look hopeless. Faith based on rewards or prosperity is hollow. To be unshakable, faith must be built on the confidence that God's ultimate purpose will come to pass. Until Next Time... Jim,