Suffering Partnership

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

Suffering is a part of the Christian life and even though we don’t like it or at times, understand it.  The facts are we suffer.   Someone asked C.S. Lewis, “Why do the righteous suffer?” “Why not?” he replied. “They’re the only ones who can take it.”  If we are partners with Christ in His suffering we will surely have God’s strength to handle that suffering and that makes suffering something we can not only handle but have a victorious outcome.  In fact, the above scripture says to be glad when we suffer because that connects us to Christ at a much deeper level.

To walk with God is to walk a road that many times we don’t recognize or understand but God is walking that road with us.  I was out one night with some of my friends and we were walking through some very dense woods with no flashlights (not good).  So I was nervously carrying on a conversation with my friends, or so I thought.  I finally stopped talking and realized I was talking to myself because my friends had taken a different path and they were no longer walking with me.  This realization freaked me out and I started calling out to find them and they answered and I made my way toward them.  I was so glad to see they were still around because it was scary to be all alone.   In the midst of these fiery trials, we have a partner and His name is Jesus and He is with us all the way.  Even when we can’t see Him or hear Him.

Since suffering is promised in 1 Peter, we should not be surprised when it happens.  We should not get discouraged either, because we have our partner with us and He has the power to help us through it.  It is called the Power of God!  We are joint heirs with Jesus!!

The Pilgrimage continues…..

David Warren