He who suffers

Following up from my last post about suffering through challenges, today my eyes were opened to the magnitude of suffering that was endured before us to make it possible for us to call Christ our Lord and Savior. My eyes were opened to seeing that what we suffer in this life, no matter how big or painful it may seem, will never be as large as the pain Christ endured for our sake.

The most humbling part of the suffering He took at the cross was that He didn't deserve a single ounce of it. He did it for those who betrayed and mocked Him in front of his eyes, for the sins that had been committed before Him and those that were yet to be committed by you and me.

When we suffer, we have the comfort of knowing God is by our side and there will be a purposeful outcome to what we endure. Whether it be a breakthrough in a relationship or character and perseverance we build, we know that God works all things together for our good. Christ purchased that reassurance for us by dying on the cross. Even after His death and resurrection, Christians endured persecution. Everything we have access to today--our salvation, relationship and personal friendship with God and Jesus, membership to the family of Christ, the Bible, His protection and blessings...it was all purchased through suffering.

Joyce Meyer writes in Battlefield of the Mind: "It isn't our suffering that glorifies God, but a Godly attitude of patience and seeking Him through our suffering that brings Him glory." 


You might think Christ's suffering was worthwhile because He did it for the millions who follow Him today. But the magnitude of lives salvation would be available to was not what made Jesus submit to selflessly dying on a cross. He died for you individually. If you were the only person on earth, He still would have endured the same amount of suffering! He loves us more than we can ever grasp. Use your suffering to bring Him the glory He deserves.