2009-11-10T09:09:06-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/suffering http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hard-times/the-trash-removal-that-saves-your-life-5957 2009-11-10T09:09:06-05:00 You can't get rid of your sin by earning it, by doing good things. You can't inherit God's forgiveness from a Christian family or pick it up by osmosis from just being around Christian things your whole life. Your only hope of getting clean, of getting to heaven, is the cleansing power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Not Christianity. Jesus. http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/20/is-suffering-important-to-faith/ 2009-10-28T11:00:20-05:00 Often in times of trouble we run to God for answers and comfort, and we often emerge from the experience more faithful then we were before; however, I don’t think I’m alone in wondering if pain and suffering are absolutely necessary to our faith in Christ. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-mission/the-good-news-about-your-bad-news-5945 2009-10-23T09:04:00-05:00 The majestic eagle, unlike most other birds, refuses to run and hide when a storm is approaching. He actually perches on the edge of his nest, waiting for the storm. Because he lets those powerful currents carry him higher than his wings can take him - until he's actually seeing the sun and looking down on his storm. Like the eagle, God wants you to use this storm to fly where you've never flown before. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Zechariah%209:12&version=NIV 2009-10-08T11:15:32-05:00 God cares for those who suffer and promises that not only will they be rescued from their suffering, but they'll receive many more times what they lost. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204:17&version=NIV 2009-10-05T17:00:15-05:00 Christians can expect, just like anybody else, to suffer through trials and misfortune in the course of life. But Christians know that this suffering is temporary, and pales in comparison to the glorious kingdom of God. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2016:20-22&version=NIV 2009-10-02T09:19:28-05:00 Christians will experience pain and suffering in this life--there's no avoiding it. But they know that the joys that follow the pain will make any suffering we endure pale in comparison, just as a mother's pain during childbirth quickly pales before the joy of holding the newborn baby. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:2-3&version=NIV 2009-09-25T10:26:51-05:00 Why would anyone ever think to be grateful for trials and suffering? Because God can use the hard times in our lives as tests which cultivate spiritual characteristics like perseverance. When you're going through a personal trial, don't just pray for God to remove the suffering--pray also that he'll use it to make you into a more Christlike person. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2054:11&version=NIV 2009-09-25T10:15:06-05:00 God comforts His people with the promise that while they are suffering now, He will eventually restore them beyond anything they could ever expect or imagine. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204:12-13&version=NIV 2009-09-25T09:46:03-05:00 In this passage, Christians are told not to be surprised by the suffering they sometimes experience. Following Christ is not a guarantee of freedom from persecution--on the contrary. But Christians can take heart that when we experience trials, we are suffering alongside Christ himself. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%206:4-10&version=NIV 2009-09-18T13:34:38-05:00 Christians are marked by the way that they behave in all circumstances, even difficult ones: they remain faithful, truthful, and patient despite whatever suffering life throws at them.