Power To Suffer And Endure
Colossians 1v11 (ESV)
“…being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…..”
2 Timothy 1v8
“…. but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.”
We are looking at ways that God works powerfully but sometimes quietly in our lives.
If we need his power to endure and to suffer, I’m not sure that we really want it! But the reality is that our Christian lives are not all sweetness and light and plain sailing. We will face difficulties of various kinds and we need God’s help to cope with this.
In the New Testament there are over 80 references to patience, endurance and perseverance. We need his spiritual power to get through. Maybe, just as we build our physical strength by exercise, we grow and develop spiritually as we face various challenges, learning to rely on God and needing to draw closer to him. In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul is very open about his experiences and the things that life threw at him including his ‘thorn in the flesh’ which God did not take away, despite his prayers.
Our ‘suffering’ as Christians in the West is modest compared to many of our brothers and sisters worldwide. Our culture does not accept strong belief readily, especially when it challenges the status quo. As Christians, we might be regarded as a bit weird, or left out of certain things, or held at arm’s length, or occasionally actively opposed even by those we expected to be close to us. Sometimes we hang back from testifying to our faith because of the reaction we expect or the embarrassment we feel.
The early disciples considered it an honour to suffer for Jesus,. Paul talked about ‘filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions’ - an incredible statement. Selwyn Hughes* said that ‘Sometimes our lives are so lethargic, so lacking in challenge, and so wanting in the power of holiness that we are not conspicuous in society and can blend into any situation and circumstance comfortably.' We need his power to enable us to live as his witnesses and ambassadors.
Prayer — Lord, I confess that I do not readily welcome suffering or the need for perseverance, as I face life’s challenges. Help me to depend on you and trust you and develop as an effective Christian when I am called to face such circumstances. Thank you that you use pressure and setbacks to grow me and change me. Let me live for your glory.