Romans 5:3-4 We also rejoice in our sufferings
All of the parents do not want their children to be sorrowful but joyful. Likewise our Father God wants us to be joyful always.
Therefore the bible says, "Be joyful always." (1 Thess 5:16) "Rejoice in the Lord always." (Phil 4:4) "Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!" (Phil 3:1)
Of course, all of the people rejoice when something good happens to them. But the bible tells us to rejoice even in the sufferings.
Why? It's because God gives us the desires of our heart when we rejoice. God likes to come to us and bless us when we rejoice just as bees and butterflies swarm around the flowers because of their fragrance.
Therefore the bible says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4)
The one of the privileges of Christians is to rejoice even though when we face hard problems, or when we are in deep troubles, or in this stressful foreign life.
If we are able to rejoice in spite of many problems and troubles, we will be the happiest persons in the world. Today, the bible tells us the secret that we can rejoice even in the sufferings.
1. Suffering produces perseverance
Common people are easily dejected when they are in sufferings. But we Christians do not need to be dejected even in the sufferings because 'There is a way out of every situation, however bad.’
Our Father God does not remain only a spectator while we are in the sufferings. God sent Jesus Christ to save us from the sufferings. And Jesus also died on the cross for our sake.
That is, Christians do not need to be sorrowful because Jesus carried our sorrow and agony. God promised to heal our diseases and to solve our problems when we pray in Jesus' name.
The bible says about this, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
Therefore "Ask, seek and knock, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11)
But we sometimes doubt about these words because our problems and sufferings do not disappear even though we ask, seek and knock.
The answer to this doubt is just today's scripture. God is able to solve our problems right now. But if God does so, we cannot be trained.
So God sometimes does not remove our sufferings at once. That is, God wants to train us for perseverance through the sufferings. But think! If the things go well according to our will, we cannot learn perseverance.
In my case, I learned perseverance in the army that means hard times. And I think I am learning perseverance in Canada.
That is to say, we can learn perseverance through the sufferings. Without the sufferings we cannot learn perseverance.
At the time of Jesus, Jewish people thought perseverance to be the queen of all the virtues. We need perseverance to overcome the world. And God promised to give rich blessings to those who have persevered.
Therefore the bible says, "Perseverance must finish its works so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:3)
"As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about." (James 5:11)
Brothers and sisters don't doubt about the love of God in the sufferings, but persevere to the end and be richly blessed by God.
2. Perseverance produces character
Our bad character can be changed into good character through the sufferings just as the impure iron can be changed into the pure iron in the furnace.
But some people pray a lot and persevere very well in the sufferings. But their impurities are not taken out of them. That is, God wants us not only to persevere but also to have fine character through the sufferings.
Let's see Moses. He was adopted as the son of the princess of Egypt, so that he could receive all the education of Egypt. And his physical appearance was very nice. And he was well educated by his mother that he had to save his people Israelites from the slavery of Egypt.
He really persevered for 40 years to save his people, but he did not remove his impurities, which mean his own ways.
One day he tried to save his people by his own way, but failed. He became a murderer, so that he had to run away into the wilderness.
The 40 years of his life in the wilderness was a big suffering to him. But he learned not only perseverance but also character in the wilderness. And he learned humility and gentleness in the wilderness as he tended the flock of Jethro his father-in-law.
And then God called Moses at the age of 80. And Moses became the great servant of God who saved the Israelites.
Let's see Joseph. He was kidnapped and sold as a slave by his stepbrothers at the age of 17. And he was falsely accused so that he spent his prime time in the prison.
But he learned not only perseverance but also character in the sufferings. Then God made him the prime minister of Egypt, so that Joseph could save his family and many people from the severe famine.
Therefore when we are in sufferings, let's learn perseverance and character, so that God may use us for his purpose.
3. Character produces hope
If we learn perseverance and character in the sufferings, we can have hope. That is, the flower of hope does not bloom in the greenhouse but in the wilderness.
Therefore the king David confessed, "It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalms 119:71) "We went through fire and water, but God brought us to a place of abundance." (Psalms 66:12)
The more sufferings are in our life, the quickly we can learn the character of God, and the more we can be blessed by God.
Therefore the apostle Paul said, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
Brothers and sisters don't forget. Every man experiences sufferings in his life. When we were not Christians, we were easily dejected by the sufferings. And the sufferings destructed us.
But it is different now. The suffering is a beautician who beautifies our life, and a messenger who delivers good news to us.
Therefore the bible says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-3)
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Therefore don't be sad or dejected by the sufferings, but learn perseverance and character through the sufferings, and have hope through the sufferings.
Prayer: Lord, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? We know neither trouble nor hardship nor persecution nor famine nor danger nor sword nor anything else will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.
Therefore Lord, let us rejoice even in the sufferings. Let us learn perseverance and character through the sufferings, so that we may have hope every day. In Jesus' name, amen