This passage starts with - “I rejoice in my sufferings”.
It ends with “For this I toil, struggling…”.
All this talk of struggle. Of toil. Of pain. Not your light hearted happy go lucky encouraging words. Especially when we know the reality is that it’s coming – we can’t avoid pain or suffering as believers. But what’s in the middle of this passage is what counts.
We can walk through these things because Jesus did. Because He’s worth it. Because enduring them by His strength in us, when we’re weak and frail and fragile and want to quit – our Father makes much of Himself in our lives and in the lives of those watching us.
Are you suffering today? Are you still aching from the pain of a past trial or the fear of a future one? Do you want to give up? The fact is that the pain will absolutely come as we live out these human lives. The good news is that with the knowledge, love, help, and relationship we have with the Father through His Son, the suffering is made worthwhile.
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Basketball has been a struggle but I have find struggle is my best friend in finding my true character. Also keeping a good Christian attitude makes the world of difference. I love Colossians and this is some of my favorite passage!!
Today I am suffering with both physical and emotional pain. I ask God to take it away, but my prayer should be Lord help me to know you better through this. Help me to remember I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I rejoice in this suffering that I may know Christ in a more intimate way!
One of my very best friends was just taken by cancer in a matter of 5 weeks. While it’s hard to make sense of this, I know that our sadness isn’t in vain. Praying God protects everything He is doing in her non believing family from this.
We’ve all experienced suffering in some form. Praise God for walking with us through it all. Here are some of my deeper thoughts. http://livingsweetlee.blogspot.com/2011/07/suffering.html?m=1
I'm learning, with the help of the Spirit, to see that all the struggles I face are not just struggles of daily life in the flesh. They are spiritual struggles for my very soul. Example: A coworker has become very hostile to me lately. I have tried and tried to determine the cause of her anger at me and have tried to maintain a peaceful , calm response to her. But everyday (without prayer) has become harder and the anger and resentment on my part has grown. Until today!!! Today the Holy Spirit revealed to me that this is, at it's very core, a spiritual battle. Satan is using her to get to me and weaken my spiritual walk. I could see Satan before God and God saying " Have you considered my servant Valerie?" I failed God for quite a while, because I didn't pray and didn't see it for the spiritual battle it is. Today, I ask for you to join me in praying, not just for a hedge around myself to protect me from Satan's attack, but for God's mercy to work in the other direction and to help save my coworker. To help me to be the voice of God to bring her to salvation.
I had the same prayers this morning. I will lift you up in prayer as I also pray for my own hedge of protection. I don't know if you have read the devotions from Ephesians, but the one of the last devotions from "She Reads Truth: Ephesians" is on the armor of God. It talks about truth and how Satan tries to twist it and how we should put on truth, peace, and righteousness daily. Especially since it has already been paid for. This spoke to me about preparing daily to be in God's presence and hear from God even in the midst of trial. I am so glad to have a community of believers that can pray for each other and believe with each other in the midst of trials.
I thank God for this passage today for I am currently going through a hard time..I just broke up with my boyfriend of nearly 4 years and am now struggling to let it go. Marriage was once so near but now gone. Resentment n disappointment has crowded my heart for a while. I really need God’s help to come out victorious. Thanks for this community of sisters in Christ and for the encouraging posts!
Footprints in the sand…
I am blessed through Christ! He is my redeemer. I walk with Grace and Love everyday. Thank you Father
….. Continued……..God so simply wants to show you how to use this situation to grow you in a way you probably won’t appreciate until you are moving towards the end of you healing. I urge you to persevere. Be honest to God about your feelings. Not for His sake but yours. Emotional honesty and humility is the beginning of recovery. The Holy Spirit awaits. He will bring several revelations to assist you whether in the form of a person, the word, tv, a concept, the radio, a book or a thought. :) serving also helped me to progress once I knew I was in the right path in my journey. God has come to heal the broken hearted. Through all of the battles if the heart I tried to conquer with my own strength, God everso gently but firmly showed me the dross and offence that was in my heart that I was responsible and capable to change. The disappointment faded away and all I see now is my awesome Father. I am back at the place of worship and adoration if my God who is sovereign. His ways are higher than ours. He knows what we can handle and allows trials to come our way knowing we have authority and power in Him to overcome. We are on this earth to know and to live Him and to make Him known. For His glory is why we are purposes to overcome the trials that come our way. Be blessed, and count it all joy!
Christine, I encourage you on your journey. I have just come through a trial that rocked my whole faith in that I allowed doubt, fear, unforgiveness and bitterness to enter into my broken heart and crushed spirit at the hand of fellow Christian leaders. The Holy Spirit is your counsellor and is so ready to fill you with revelation and peace.
Today the message was around James 1. Count it all joy. The point which sticks with me was”God will not protect you from that which will perfect you”. Trials are to perfect you for kingdom use, I must remember this point as I go through, I must remember to sing my way through.
When I think of my Christ – beaten, bleeding, nailed to a cross – anything I am going through pales in comparison. If He could do that for me, I can anything less for Him.
What can I say ladies. Being a Christian isn’t easy. I have struggled so much since being saved, but god has always been with me through the storms and I have come out the over side victorious. I got baptised in June of this year – which was a really important moment for me and knew that I would be tested by the enemy – so many things have happened in the past few months that has caused me to question my faith and give up but because I know that god has brought me through other situations I am holding on and know that he will bring me through this also. Its difficult to pray or even read the word or feel encouraged through the storms. But god will bring those storms to a calm and gentle whisper. He is truly awesome as he has done before and will continue to do.
The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace and remain at rest (exodus 14v14) and I know that without him I wouldn’t have made it. So we need to remember that we are never alone and god fights the battle for us.
We are blessed and highly favoured. Just be still in the midst of your troubles and watch god do his work in Your lives
Stay blessed ladies
My name is janelle im 23. lately God has been revealing to me that my ministry is around the corner. Its been very hard for me, because my prayer life isnt the same and the fire I once had for God is slowly dimming. Please keep me in your prayers im slowly trying to reignite the fire and passion I once had I know with God all things are possible. Pray for direction because I dont know where to start I feel lost, I dont know what to do.
I’ve suffered all my life as a juvenile diabetic and now 36 years later I’m very grateful that the Lord has brought me through it.
Amanda I’m with you on that. Thank God for this community of women praying for each other and Hilary God got your back end st the end of the day He is all you need. I’m praying your strength…Phil 4:13
So grateful to have found this community. My recent trial has been that my Christian husband of 24 years has left me and our two wonderful children for another woman with whom he has been having a secret affair for a year. We have been devastated, it's been two months since he went, slowly , slowly we are rebuilding but its a rocky road with lots of ups and downs. But I know I am not alone and Jesus has been walking with me and will keep doing so.
Hilary, my heart aches for you. We are glad you are here with sisters who can pray for you and for your children. Thank goodness you have deep roots to stand this storm, and that Jesus will continue to walk with you through this deeply painful and confusing time. You will be in my prayers. Cling to the Lord sister, He will care for you.
I have fallen behind and usually because of time difference I am usually one of the first to comment and it was such a joy to read through all the comments. I was taken to hospital last Thursday and diagnosed with typhoid. My test result shocked my doctor as it was very high and double that if other patients admitted with typhoid. I was very ill and had I not have gone when I did I faced death. I am thankful to our God that he got me there. I know He is in this and will be with me as I face a long recovery. Being in full time ministry in a foreign country is tough and is not a happy happy joy joy ride. But I would rather be going through this knowing I am in His will then be going through this out of His will. Today’s reading gives me strength to get through today as Christ is in me, the hope of glory. And verse 29 I proclaim to all and to the enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy.
Thank you my sisters and please pray for me.
Love to you all.
Sometimes the trials get so tiring. As I read all these posts my first thoughts were oh so much suffering, and so much sin. But I kept thinking and I realized that the power of Christ to change the world, to live His light into the dark places comes when we individuals in the church link our arms together to do his work of loving the lost in our little piece of His creation. Thank you sisters for reminding me that I am not alone as I walk as widow, parent of wayward children, in physical distress but above all in the Hope of His Glory.
The phrase at the end of today’s devotional, “fear of a future [trial],” hit me hard. I’m living that way. In fear of the future. Tied up in knots, physically, over a big move to another state, my first move with my new hubby and my first move away from my family. Bound by worries, unholy thoughts, crippled by my lack of trust, in fear of this tool and struggling that is really a blessing. Wednesday’s scripture in particular was uplifting, but today I pray that God is working to make his mystery known, to bring glory, to bring perfection in spite of my imperfection. Demolish the fear, Lord. Help me to live by faith, by joy, and certainly not by worry. Amen.
I've just joined She Reads Truth. Yay. And am currently going through pains & sufferings from deep seeded past trials. but now am dealing with them in a positive self growing way.
but this morning was tough, and I talked to God this morning saying, "God, I really need you right now. Especially as I face these scary trails of self growth." I do believe knowledge, love, help, and relationship with the Father will truly help.
In a way we are always suffering because we live in a awful awful world, but if we have Christ in our lives every single minute of every day, we won't be impacted by the suffering around us. We will be OK with God. He will never throw anything at us that we can't handle!
This has been a truly convicting study so far. I am ready to rejoice through the pain others cause me, and to live in His grace and forgiveness when I cause others pain, seeking their forgiveness.
Tomorrow marks the 3 year anniversary of when my child shared with me something so horrific, I could barely believe anyone could do something so horrible to them. I have lived in the shadow of that pain and brokenness for 3 LONG years. I am ready to be free! I am ready to live victoriously and joyfully in Christ!
Thank you for sharing this.
Sometimes its easy to focus on what’s hard when in pain or suffering. This passage has inspired me to give it over to Christ and think of all the reasons why I can be greatful for what God has done and will do through me today and every day…
Perfect. Even when life is always, we must always look at the good in everything, even if it is a bad situation, because the good is God
*Life is bad.
Ever since I read the devotional this morning, I've been making a mental list of all the reasons I truly CAN rejoice in suffering.
1. It sends me to my knees, seeking God. THAT is always a good thing because it reminds me of my need for a Savior. Keeps me humble!
2. It awakens compassion in me. When I'm sitting by the phone, waiting for a call from the dr office about test results, I can minister to and encourage someone in a similar situation SO much more effectively!
3. It makes me reflect on and appreciate Christ's love for me even more…how He wilingly suffered FOR ME!
4. It always teaches me something. God never wastes a hurt. If I will simply turn to Him and ask Him for HIS perspective in my trial, He never fails to do so.
It was easy to come up with this list today, because I'm having a really good day! I want to write these things down on an index card to refer to when I go through trials that will surely come.
Amy,
I was thinking the same thing to write them down! Thank you for sharing its so hard to remember all the suffering is for a reason when you are right in the put of it. I need visual reminders and this will help!
Dyan
Encouraging words for me as an associate pastor and pastor's wife today.
Maya, I grew up in a pastor's home and have a heart for ministry and those in it myself. Praying for you today. Asking that you get the strength that you need, knowing that your life, your struggle, is for the sole purpose of putting His Glory on display. Also hoping someone buys you a coffee today. That can work wonders in and of itself :)
Oh ladies, I needed this in a BIG way today. My heart is heavy for friends that got rough news recently. My tears of pain from last night became tears of joy this morning. Thank you.
Such a great reminder of what Christ can do when I allow Him to work through my trials. It is so easy to allow bitterness, hurt, anger, disappointment, confusion scar my life and leave it hard and useless. But as long as their is Christ at work in me there is a purpose.
Kinna, your illustrations of Gods love within us just made me put my head down and weep with joy! Thank you. I think we might find that printed and put up on refrigerators today. Isn’t it amazing how we can bless each other? Praise God for creating us to be in unity like that!
Oh sisters, is the truth amazing. I am inspired by all of your courage and the example you show of looking to God in the storm.
I have been in a trial for a while now, one that I know without Christ in my life I would have given up on months ago. He keeps me working in it because it is right and good, not because it is easy. I am at a point where I am angry and impatient and wanting to give up, but this again this morning encourages me to continue to be the light that I can. I pray that God will continue to guide and refine me and use me to His will. And give me peace and strength to keep going!
Hannah, thank you for being a Bible study nerd, your post was right on- imagine more strength the more you give of yourself! Hallelujah!
Nikki, Emily, Anita and other sisters, lets put our eyes on Him and keep going, shall we?
Praying for our SRT community this morning, I am so blessed by you all!
Want to know a little secret? This secret has been kept for many a year, I'm not so sure you can handle it…but it really is too good to keep quiet. You know that Christ guy, the one who went through that awful beating, that nasty blood bath, and then three days after he died was absolutely no where to be found? Yeah, that one. Want to know where he went? Touch your heart. Do you feel it beating? Want to know why?
It's because He's in there.
And he loves you, that why he chose there. And even through the mess and heartache…
HE WILL REMAIN…
…to give you that little pep talk when you need a bit more encouragement, to give you a bit of a push to give you a jump-start, to hold your hand when you need a bit of guidance, to give you the strength to carry on. All you have to do is ask.
So, ladies, rejoice in the storm even when you cannot see the sun on the horizon. There will ALWAYS be a morning for you.
Wow… That brought me tears, good tears… Thank you!
Tears from me too! Thank you!!
I love that Paul admits at the end of this chapter that his work as a minister and an apostle is a toil, a struggle. He sets forth a high and lofty goal, namely, to "present everyone mature in Christ" but then fully discloses the fact that it's laborious, painstaking, emotionally draining work.
I'm a Bible study nerd in that I never read a passage without consulting several commentaries (and of course the Holy Spirit) and in Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible he writes this about Paul's struggle: "As Paul laid himself out to do much good, so he had this favour, that the power of God wrought in him the more effectually."
Wow. The more Paul gave of himself to the work to which he was called, the more God did through Paul. What an empowering, life-giving truth.
When we give until it hurts, love until it hurts, serve until it hurts, THAT'S when we're so stripped of our own strength, will, love, etc. that it's only God's power serving His will in His way.
That keeps ME going. I hope it does you, too.
Beautifully stated..thank you for sharing that with us!
I am always amazed at how I can read a passage at different times in my life and depending on what trials are going on at the moment a different message will stand out. It’s like Christ is personalizing the message just for my own situation every second I spend reading His word.
Today the end of verse 27 resonated with me “the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you,the hope of glory.” He is so GOOD!
Blessings!!!
As I read this passage and I reminded of the things that Jesus went through for us, I am also reminded of the passage in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart I have overcome the world."
We are able to walk through these things because He has overcome the world for us, and yes storm and tribulations don't feel comfortable, but I always TRY (don't always succeed) to find the blessings in the middle of a storm, and then I think about how sometimes we go through storms so that we can be someone else's rainbow in their similar storm. I am sometimes thankful for the learning and growing process that comes from storms. I love being able to share my life and story with others, even when it hurts.
I love this passage because it is such a reminder that we can lean on Christ for strength and perserverance through the tough times!
Colleen, so true and what a blessing. Very well said.
Wow, Colleen, I read this passage and felt like it was just for me today, and then seeing the passage from John that you quoted I am even more encouraged. What a powerful thought. Thanks for sharing!
I do love how this section talks about the unveiling and sharing of the word to all people. The way Paul writes, you can lose sense of time and feel like you are sharing that moment with him.
And what better motivating words when we need to draw on Christ for strength? The reminder that Paul assumes that energy and relies on it to do his work…that's a humbling perspective to me.
To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:29 NIV)
So timely. I am always amazed at how God brings me his word he never leaves us comfortless. As I woke up this morning my body racked with pain . I made it to the restroom and back to bed. My question to God was how long? Lord will I always hurt, will I always have to take a pill? I have so much to do today and most of it is for the Lord. I feel horrible complaining but there r days.
We as believing Gentiles are the mystery! That God would allow us to glorify Himself in Christ in amazing. Here's a recent example of God's great faithfulness in spite of suffering as another Louisville couple lost their baby in childbirth. They're part of Sojourn church, and the husband is a worship leader there. These words brought me to tears, for their grief but also for God's abundant goodness in such difficulty. Here's their blog… http://mysonginthenight.com/2012/11/07/gods-will-…
Wow! there is nothing to say! The writing by J. Vernon McGee moved me to more tears after I cried reading about Parker going home! What a picture of a sheep herder carrying two little lambs through the thorns!
Hi Laura! I thought that scripture was saying that Jesus Christ was the mystery hidden from the prophets of old.
As I am in treatment and working through out hurts and present temptations I am praying for God to take it all away, when I should be praying that God will use this time and these temptations to flood me with his strength and to use my struggles and sin to glorify him. Definitely needed this passage this morning.
I too am praying God will take away my emotional and physical pain. But you're right, I need to be praying for His strength to endure it. I need to be in His presence regardless of how I feel.
God's timing is so amazing, isn't it? Right when I'm feeling my most broken the words "rejoice in suffering" pop up on my computer screen this morning. These scriptures put an excellent perspective on my issues today.
Thanks for being obedient, ladies.
This had my name all over it! Today’s reading was timely and much needed.
This is a timely passage and devotional for me right now. This week every year is a really difficult one for me & my family–but, as the years pass, it gets easier and easier to see how God has worked and how God is continuing to work through my pain and through the hard things we have to face: I love the verse, “HE is the one we proclaim”–and I’m striving to do that. I think I tend to make my trials and struggles all about me–really, to make life all about me–they’re all about him and his glory. What an encouragement to keep moving forward and to keep looking for glimpses of his glory. Praying for those reading today who are in the midst of their own trials. One of my favorite songs has the lines, “If you call us to the fire/you will not withdraw your hands/we will gaze into the flames and look for you.” Right now I’m on the looking back side of the greatest trial I’ve faced, but I know that greater trials could come. Praying that these truths become more rooted in my heart each day so when the trials come, I will stand on him instead of me.
This was needed for me today!!!
Amen sister! It is comforting to know that when we are suffering, admittedly it never feels like that in the moment, God is there, watching, loving, caring. I have learned over many years of 'suffering' that God didn't say we will not suffer, or that life will be easy, but He does promise to stand by us and give us the victory over the pain and suffering, and this is all because of Jesus.
I'm suffering so terribly right now. Going through, but I'm so glad to know He is there! He is the refiner that watches over us while we are in the fire. He never leaves us even though the pain and the trail is difficult. And it is indeed difficult right now.
Beautiful. I needed to hear these words tonight. He is transforming these wounds into wells of healing because Christ lives in me. Come on somebody.
I've been spending the past year or so dealing with some issues from my past, and allowing God to transform those wounds and past hurt into wells of healing and stories I can share with others is what has kept me going, and allowing Christ to be in the center of it, is what has made it "easy" Praying for you!
So good Colleen. I am in the exact same place! I am encouraged by you tonight. :)
Amen ash…… it is I that live, but not I, but Christ who lives through me…… life is full of trials, some brought on by self, some not. The bottom line is that we always remember that whatever we suffer through, we grow through, as Christ sees us through. With this growth, comes the gifts of the Spirit and the ability for the Lord to use us for bigger things, to bless us with bigger things, and best of all, for spiritual growth. Press on towards the mark! Many great things await those who serve the Lord and are called according to Hid purpose.
Thank you! You are so right. Goooood things to come for us all. :)