quotes.

my babe preached today.

the topic- suffering

i wanted to share some encouraging quotes from his sermon.

lucky for me, he types out his sermons so i didn't have to try to remember all of this:

"Fear God, no one can really harm you in suffering."

"Nobody can harm you if you are zealous for what is good. But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be happy. Don't be afraid of them, and don't be anxious." 1 Peter 3:13-14.

The greatest harm is separation from God. Real and true harm is hell.  You may be able to take my arm, or take my leg, or throw me in jail, and the affects of sin and a broken world may take my son away, but they can never take my God away from me. Nothing, can separate me from Him!

"In the life of the Christian, God uses what the world says is only horrible and only bad for good, always!"

"There is a huge difference between enduring suffering because you have an intellectual trust in God and enduring suffering with joy because you know God, and the hope that you have.  One says, "yes, this suffering and pain is bad but I know that God can be trusted. so, I trust him.  The other says, this suffering is good, because God is good and He uses all things for good, even my suffering.  One response fears God and brings glory to Him. The other, fears other things and brings glory to them."

"If your kids are your master, and you fear them, in that you put them where God belongs and, heaven forbid, they're taken from you, and you have to suffer the loss of them, your world falls apart. You are harmed. Glory to your kids. If your job is your master and you fear losing your job all the time, and then you suffer the loss of your job, you world falls apart. you are harmed. Glory to your job."

"How you handle suffering has very little, if nothing to do with the loss and everything to do with what you value. "

hope that was somewhat encouraging to someone.

Those who recognize that their suffering in this life is never as great and as serious as their sins find joy in an unexpected place in the midst of suffering. Because the great mystery is not, Why do I suffer? No. The great mystery is why would the sinless Son of God suffer as my substitute on the cross for my sins, receiving the wrath that I deserve so that I might be forgiven and declared righteous. That is the Great Mystery of Mercy.- C.J. Mahaney