ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE
“Only the strong survive!”
You have probably heard this expression before.
But is it true?
And does that expression apply to Christians today?
Spoiler alert!
The answer to both questions is yes!
Christians are expected to:
We really have no choice because we are all going to suffer.
That is what the Bible teaches, so we need to prepare accordingly.
JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES SUFFERED GREATLY
When we suffer, we need to keep in mind that we are not the first people to experience hardships.
Jesus suffered.
The Apostles suffered.
And so will we!
Jesus’ life was difficult from the moment He was born. When Jesus was born, He had no place to sleep, and He and His parents had to immediately flee from Herod and head to Egypt (Mathew 2:13-23).
The Apostles also suffered greatly. Throughout their lives, they suffered many hardships, including:
- Beatings,
- Imprisonments,
- Shipwrecks,
- And all kinds of hardships.
Yes, there is nothing in the Bible that says that life will be easy.
What it does say is that it will be worth it!
GOD DOES NOT SHIELD US FROM ADVERSITY
Adversity is an important part of our development as Christians.
So why does God allow us to suffer?
For three reasons:
- To teach us,
- To discipline us,
- To reveal His supreme power.
How we handle adversity says a lot about our faith.
Consider the following words spoken by Jesus:
- “It is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” – Mathew 10:22.
Wow!
Jesus did not simply say that we need to endure, He said that we need to endure to the end if we want to be saved!
That is how important endurance is to Jesus!
ENDURANCE AND PERSEVERANCE
Endurance and perseverance go hand in hand.
We have already established that as Christians, we are going to suffer.
The Apostle Paul wrote about this in his second letter to Timothy:
“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” – 2 Timothy 3:12.
What God wants to see is how we will respond.
When adversity strikes, do we complain and feel sorry for ourselves?
Or do we accept God's plan for us, and continue to seek ways to glorify Him and serve others?
Wherever we are in our own lives, we can always challenge ourselves to have a more Godly attitude about suffering.
Consider the following three verses:
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” - James 1:12,
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” - Galatians 6:9,
“We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” - Romans 5:3-5.
KEEPING SUFFERING IN ITS PROPER PERSPECTIVE
As we battle through life’s challenges, we need to remember two things:
Our struggles are nothing compared to the suffering that Jesus endured and the glory that awaits us in Heaven,
Whatever pain we are experiencing, it is only temporary. There will come a time when the pain subsides.
Keeping our suffering in perspective allows us to remain hopeful in a lost and sinful world.
The following three scriptures do a fantastic job of helping us to keep suffering in its proper perspective:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:18,
“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10,
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3-4.
CONCLUSION
It is not a question of if Christians are going to suffer, it is a question of when.
Suffering is important to our faith, and how we handle our adversity is important to our salvation.
Jesus said:
“It is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” – Mathew 10:22.
That is the bar that He set, and that is what we must strive to do!
Life will get bumpy.
We will slip up and make mistakes along the way.
But no matter the circumstances that we may find ourselves in, those circumstances do not define us.
It is our love for Jesus and our commitment to following His teachings that defines us!
As His disciples, our role is to persevere and remain faithful until the end.
We will end today’s lesson with the following words spoken by the Apostle Paul. They are the same words that we hope to be able to say ourselves when our time on earth is done:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8.
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