Colossians 3:17 (NKJV) And whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
I’ve heard it said that “God uses suffering to bless those who suffer with a credibility they might not otherwise have. That credibility reaches out beyond the believer who suffers.”
In other words, Jesus’ disciples took up His mantle of suffering so that others might hear a message to which they would otherwise be deaf (see Acts 5). The apostle Paul’s life was characterized by physical and emotional suffering resulting from his proclamation of the gospel. Consider Paul’s words, written from a prison cell: “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14 ESV).
I believe that Jesus healed the sick and that this suffering is not sickness, but persecution in living against the grain of this world. Suffering then takes on a whole new dimension.
In other words, the suffering that is mentioned is neither from sickness nor disease. The disciples of Jesus Christ, whether living in Biblical times or in ours, will be punished by the world for ‘living the Gospel’.
I thought of all this in relation to being content with that which I’m blessed with. I am grateful for what the Lord is doing, even though I sometimes don’t see His hand, or see any evidence.
This is where real faith comes in; faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and what He has done for me.