Scripture

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

~Isaiah 53:3, NLT

Quote

No healthy Christian chooses suffering; we choose God’s will and sometimes that leads to suffering.

~Oswald Chambers

I had some thoughts this morning as I read my devotions. Jesus came to this planet and was born of a virgin and suffered childhood and adolescence. He was raised in poverty and obscurity and never received a higher education. Matter of fact, from an early age, He was a craftsman working with his earthly father in a carpenter’s shop. He never made any mistakes; therefore, He never had any regrets. At the age of 30 He left the workshop and became an itinerant preacher. Being the Son of God, He had supernatural powers and He used those gifts for the good of man and the glory of His Father. He went about preaching the gospel {repent and believe…God loves you}, healing the sick and even raising the dead. He never hurt the hurting. He did put a few whelps on the priest and money changers who had corrupted the Temple and were mistreating people. To put it in a nutshell: Jesus never sinned. He even stood in public and challenged anyone in the audience to find a sin in Him. This is something I would not dare do. So, since Jesus was perfectly good and never committed a sin, He would be pain free, right? Being perfect should give a person immunity from suffering. It would seem that way but in truth, Jesus the perfect man, suffered more than any man. Even if you and I could live a perfect life, we would suffer due to the fallen state of the world.

Make no mistake about it: we do reap what we sow and many of us have brought suffering on ourselves by making poor choices and bad mistakes. Be that as it is, we live in a fallen sin-cursed world and suffering cannot be avoided. Matter of fact, the better you are, the more you may suffer. This sin-cursed world does not appreciate true goodness. Those who live godly lives will be persecuted. Peter said, “If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!” In this world, there is going to be suffering and it cannot be avoided. The key is to suffer for that which is good and not that which is evil. Just as God used the suffering of Christ for our good and His glory; He will use our suffering as well. Eventually it will work for our good and His glory.

Extra

Michael talked me into becoming a Braves fan and as I listen to the August 24 pregame show on radio, one of the broadcasters told the story of Ray Cardwell of the Cleveland Indians. This happened on August 24, 1919. Ray was pitching a masterful game and was in the 9th inning with two outs when sudden a storm blew in from Lake Erie and Ray was struck by lightning. All his teammates assumed he was dead, but someone did CPR and revived him. He got up and finished the game. You can find the full story online.

I can’t believe it is the last Friday in August 2022 with two thirds of the year in the rear view. When you get my age, time flies whether you are having fun or not. Keep praying for Gregg, Beth, Holly and all those who are battling cancer. Pray also for Charlie Macabee who is in DMH with an infection. He may be a little better.

I hope you have a good day and a great weekend. Thanks for reading the blog.