God uses suffering to teach us to minister

[chosenbyone]

Originally Posted by Bro-Larry

EXTRAPOLATION happens.

All the time, Bro Larry!

[Maximilia]

Bro. Larry:

You're giving me pause for thought!!!! Truly suffering is over-rated!

Your ideas are somewhat shock therapy!

Um--I'm a little dopey at the moment because I just took some powerful migraine medication but I have enough cohesiveness to say that I've been through quite a bit in the last year, and undoubtedly a lot of it was sent from Lucifer himself. It certainly hasn't been very glorifying to God. The only testimony I have is that others can see my life and see that I'm still faithful to God.

I just got off the phone with my beautiful bible school student daughter (that I've sacrificed quite tremendously to send to bible college). She was tearfully telling me how her future monther-in-law (apostolic to the bone) gave her the cold shoulder, was rude and mean. Why is this so acceptable in our ranks? I'm so sick of this. I've put up with meanness and jealousy from other women in the church and I'm tired (yes, I'm pretty and talented--I realize that's a liability). Why is attitude not a STANDARD!!! Why isn't maturity important. This breaks my heart. If I didn't like my future son in law, I'd just put the kabosh on the whole mess.

Anyway, I'm gonna think about your ideas. I certainly think something weird goes on when we have a martyrdom mentality.

[Rhoni]

Originally Posted by Maximilia

Bro. Larry:

You're giving me pause for thought!!!! Truly suffering is over-rated!

Your ideas are somewhat shock therapy!

Um--I'm a little dopey at the moment because I just took some powerful migraine medication but I have enough cohesiveness to say that I've been through quite a bit in the last year, and undoubtedly a lot of it was sent from Lucifer himself. It certainly hasn't been very glorifying to God. The only testimony I have is that others can see my life and see that I'm still faithful to God.

I just got off the phone with my beautiful bible school student daughter (that I've sacrificed quite tremendously to send to bible college). She was tearfully telling me how her future monther-in-law (apostolic to the bone) gave her the cold shoulder, was rude and mean. Why is this so acceptable in our ranks? I'm so sick of this. I've put up with meanness and jealousy from other women in the church and I'm tired (yes, I'm pretty and talented--I realize that's a liability). Why is attitude not a STANDARD!!! Why isn't maturity important. This breaks my heart. If I didn't like my future son in law, I'd just put the kabosh on the whole mess.

Anyway, I'm gonna think about your ideas. I certainly think something weird goes on when we have a martyrdom mentality.

Please get some pre-marital counseling for your daughter and her fiance. She is marrying into a family that is going to consistently drag her down if she is not able to stand up for herself. She also needs to know if her fiance/future husband will stand with her or them.

I agree - attitude is a 'standard' that should be set in place even more so than the 'outer standard' [not saying to do away with them] after all God sees and looks on the heart. And we all know that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.


Blessings, Rhoni

[Bro-Larry]

Originally Posted by Rhoni

Please get some pre-marital counseling for your daughter and her fiance. She is marrying into a family that is going to consistently drag her down if she is not able to stand up for herself. She also needs to know if her fiance/future husband will stand with her or them.

I agree - attitude is a 'standard' that should be set in place even more so than the 'outer standard' [not saying to do away with them] after all God sees and looks on the heart. And we all know that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.


Blessings, Rhoni

That's good advise, Rhoni.

[crakjak]

Originally Posted by Bro-Larry

My point is God does not send tribulation and suffering to us. All feiry darts and trials come from the devil. They all should be resisted vigorously with the shield of faith.

Now here is the point of my point, the very sharp point of it is this-----that it is not the "going through or suffering through a trial" that benefits you or glorifies God. It is in the triumphing over the trial, that you prove to the world that your God is bigger than anything the devil can throw at you. It is in the quenching of that feiry trial/dart that God is glorified.

In I Pe 1:7 it indicates to me that after your shield of faith has been used against the fire, and your faith is stronger than the fire, (your faith puts out the feiry dart) ---- then and only then does your faith give praise, honour, and glory to Jesus Christ.

If the trial proves to be stronger than your faith and you have to suffer through the trial (like most people do), then you have given no glory to God.

Go to that thread a few weeks ago where those poor ignorant parents let their little girl die and see if anyone posted that those parents' actions glorified God?

You gave three scriptures and the word "suffering" is not in any of them.
Then you made this statement: "If we are going to mature in Christ, we are going to suffer..." The context of all three scriptures is that when you stand victoriously over a trial or tribulation then you can rejoice!!!

I don't like suffering!!!! I only believe in the suffering of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because He suffered, I believe I don't have to. He took my suffering, and I believe in what His suffering did for me. I believe that His suffering delivered me from the sin, sickness, disease, poverty, and death from which I could not deliver myself. I believe in the radical grace of God.

That, my friend, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is deeply ingrained in RCC Dogma, that people have to suffer. The Buddists monks think their suffering will gain them God's favor. The Islamists believe that also. Almost every religion in the world embraces suffering as major tenent of faith. This obsession with suffering borders on idolotry. They are offering another sacrifice. There is only One True Sacrifice--Jesus.

Preach, Brother, Preach.

I choose the yoke of Jesus, and He said it is easy and it is light. I have suffered and I don't like any of it, I don't cozy up to it nor embrace any of it. I wish I could say that I have always defeated it, but I still resist it and declare Jesus my Lord.

[Maximilia]

Hi All,

Hmmmmm! I had quite a weekend of suffering. Is my loving heavenly father gearing me up to minister to others. (I'm being cynical but--I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT!) I totally bless my enemies--those who've stolen from me, those who've made my life hellish, etc., but really now--What kind of a mean dad would have to teach me in such a stupid way?

I truly am convinced that much of what I have encountered has been sent from the evil one and that God is going to give me great deliverance and victory as I lift the shield of faith.

[Maximilia]

On a heavier note, when I think of the Myanamar and China victims, I know that I know very little about suffering and have so much to be thankful for. Again though, I know Christ has come to deliver and save, and the enemy wants to destroy everyone.

[Bro-Larry]

I do believe that the devil in out to try (test and tempt) every man's work of what sort it is, whether wood, hay, stubble, gold, silver, precious stones, but I do not believe God our good and loving heavenly father is "trying, testing or tempting us. The Bible says he is always there making a way for us to escape temptations.

"Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of the Lord, for God cannot be tempted of evil, and neither tempteth He any man".