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- Oct 26, 2007
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Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 1 Peter 4:1
When you’re very sick for a prolonged period of time, your suffering strips you down to the bare basics of existence. You no longer care to indulge in pleasurable activity—whether it’s sex, parties, delicious food, or amusing pastimes. Your pain and suffering loom so large in your mind that you can think of little else. The bible talks of this when it describes people who “loathed all food and drew near the gates of death” (Psalm 107:18).
When you lose your tight grip even a desire for life, and all your ambitions and dreams are no longer important to you, you’re approaching the state God wants you to be in. Now finally, you begin to grasp what Jesus was talking about when He said, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). As you approach the gates of death, you understand eternal truths and values much better.
The Psalms say, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71), and difficult as it is to go through prolonged suffering, it can be a very enriching and eye-opening experience.
When you’re very sick for a prolonged period of time, your suffering strips you down to the bare basics of existence. You no longer care to indulge in pleasurable activity—whether it’s sex, parties, delicious food, or amusing pastimes. Your pain and suffering loom so large in your mind that you can think of little else. The bible talks of this when it describes people who “loathed all food and drew near the gates of death” (Psalm 107:18).
When you lose your tight grip even a desire for life, and all your ambitions and dreams are no longer important to you, you’re approaching the state God wants you to be in. Now finally, you begin to grasp what Jesus was talking about when He said, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). As you approach the gates of death, you understand eternal truths and values much better.
The Psalms say, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71), and difficult as it is to go through prolonged suffering, it can be a very enriching and eye-opening experience.
