Suffering to Bless Others Ephesians 3:13 Do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. Sometimes we discover that a major reason for our suffering has been what God intended to do in someone else’s life. That may not be obvious to us. But Paul says that his sufferings were for the glory (or means of blessing) of others (Ephesians 3:13). “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:12–14). We do not always see the realization of God’s purposes. None of us has the ability to interpret God’s perfectly wise purpose in the sufferings of our fellow believers (or of ourselves for that matter). But in order to encourage them, we need to have some awareness of what God may be doing. By sharing the biblical teaching on what God does in our lives through suffering, we may encourage others to serve God in it. Jeremiah, David: Sanctuary : Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God. Nashville, TN : Integrity Publishers, 2002, S. 216
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 13:52:41 +0000
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