Enduring Suffering For Christ
THE LAMP DEVOTION
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Modern-day Charismatic Christianity started with faith as a currency to get all we need from God. This graduated into the form we have today when the focus of the entire Christian life for most Christians is materialism. The other unwritten idea that runs along it is that the Christian life is absolute peace, happiness, no pain and no suffering. The charismatic theology as we have it now has no place for suffering. In its extreme form, some pastors directly accuse their members of lack of faith if they do not have material goods or go through some kind of suffering.
Suffering has been a part of living on earth since the Fall of man and it comes in different forms. Jesus suffered during His three and a half years of ministry on earth. He suffered unto death. I guess Jesus had no faith in God, and that is why He suffered. Absolutely not! Suffering is what the theme of the cross in Christianity is all about. To put in its proper context, we are talking about suffering for Christ; we are suffering because we chose to follow in the ways of Jesus Christ. This is because we have a common adversary who is the devil.
Tribulation is another word for suffering for the sake of the gospel, and it produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, etc. Suffering for the sake of the gospel is one of the ways our flesh is crucified so the life of the Spirit can freely spring forth from us.
Prayer
1. Thank God for giving you the spirit to endure suffering without giving up your faith.
2. Pray that you will stand fast in Christ to glorify God.
3. Father, please help me endure suffering as a soldier of Christ.
Declarations
I declare that I follow in the path of Jesus Christ my Lord as a soldier in His army. I am a partaker of His sufferings and His death because this is what brought about my redemption. By the grace of God, I shall endure suffering that comes my way because of my faith in Jesus. As I do, I declare by divine authority that I shall become a better person in the name of Jesus.
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