Job realized that if believers who found themselves in similar situations remained strong, remained faithful, then their suffering would produce strength of character in their lives. That doesn’t mean we just suffer for the sake of suffering. If a person simply chose to suffer, without trying to get help, it would mean there was something wrong in their thinking. But if a believer chooses to follow God’s will, even if it means they might suffer, then that is a healthy spiritual choice.<\/p>\n
The apostle Paul accepted suffering, “a thorn in the flesh,” because it was part of the path God was taking him down. Paul asked God 3 times to remove the suffering, but God made it clear to him that it was part of His plan. So Paul simply accepted it and continued serving, even when it was hard. In fact Paul came to realize that it actually worked as an advantage in his life: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). Do we look for the good that God will bring through adversity?<\/p>\n
British author Somerset Maugham wrote a short story about a janitor at St Peter’s Church in London. One day a young vicar discovered that the janitor was illiterate and fired him. Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, which prospered. He bought another shop and expanded, ultimately ending up with a chain of tobacco stores worth several hundred thousand dollars. One day the man’s banker said, “You’ve done well for an illiterate. Imagine where you’d be if you could read and write!” “Well,” replied the man, “I’d be janitor of St. Peter’s Church in Neville Square.” A funny story but it does contain truth.<\/p>\n
“LORD, help us to not just endure suffering today but to look for Your hand in it to bring strength into our life.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Job 17 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves\u00a0are ready\u00a0<\/em>for me.\u00a0\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0Are there<\/em>not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?\u00a0\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>he\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>will strike hands with me?\u00a04<\/sup>For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt\u00a0them\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0He that speaketh flattery to\u00a0his\u00a0<\/em>friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>as a shadow.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0Upright\u00a0men\u00a0<\/em>shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.\u00a0 10<\/sup>\u00a0But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find\u00a0one\u00a0<\/em>wise\u00a0man<\/em>among you.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0My days are past, my purposes are broken off,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>the thoughts of my heart.\u00a0\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0They change the night into day: the light\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>short because of darkness.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0If I wait, the grave\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0I have said to corruption, Thou\u00a0art\u00a0<\/em>my father: to the worm,\u00a0Thou art\u00a0<\/em>my mother, and my sister.\u00a0\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And where\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when\u00a0our\u00a0<\/em>rest together\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in the dust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Job realized that if believers who found themselves in similar situations remained strong, remained faithful, then their suffering would produce strength of character in their lives. That doesn’t mean we just suffer for the sake of suffering. If a person simply chose to suffer, without trying to get help, it would mean there was something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7564"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16454,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7564\/revisions\/16454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}