Suffering

Peter Takes Us to the Cross

Peter was an eye witness of the Lord’s death, but he used the words of Scripture to describe the Lord’s suffering. Verses from the passage today and yesterday are full quotations from Isaiah 53 which tell how Jesus, who without sin accepted insults and suffering without any c …

Job’s Second Test

Faithfulness requires more faithfulness (vv. 1-3). – Job proved his faithfulness at the end of chapter 1 by praising God even after losing his livestock, properties and children. You may think that faithfully serving the church for 20 years is good enough and that God will …

The Plagues of Dead Animals And Boils

Again Moses was God’s spokesman to Pharaoh and he said, “Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me (v. 1).” He warns the King that if he keeps refusing He will bring a terrible disease to his horses, donkeys, camels, cattle …

Cast Down But Not Conquered

God has made us the way we are so that we can do the work He wants us to do (v. 7). As a Christian we should never complain because of a lack of gifts or abilities. Each of us is a special vessel made by God for His use. The important thing about a vessel is that it is clean, empty, and available …

Suffering for God’s Glory

Peter is saying that through the fiery trials of persecution and suffering it gives us opportunity to examine our own lives and ministry. Through this refining process we should ask ourselves the following questions: 1. Why am I suffering? (v. 15). Peter makes it c …

God’s Servant Must Suffer

In this chapter, Israel is exhorted to walk by faith. Israel was rebellious but the prophet pleaded for her to trust in the Lord and not in her own doings (vv. 1-3). God promised to fight for Israel, but Israel sold itself into sin. Israel had caused its own problems. An …

We are to Emulate Christ’s Example

There were over sixty million slaves in the Roman empire. Slavery was a way of life. Slaves served in any number of capacities including manual labor, doctors, teachers, musicians, etc. Some slaves, after accepting Jesus as their Savior, desired personal and political freedom, resulting in problems …

Suffering For Christ

Some of Paul’s religious assailants in Corinth were no doubt Jews. They hurled the charge at Paul that he was no true Hebrew. They said he had apostatized from the faith and that he could not possibly be a faithful minister of God. What Paul does here is demonstrate the depth of his …

Confidence in Life’s Only Hope

David begins the Psalm with a pledge to hold his tongue (v. 1). He had good intentions of keeping his mouth shut so as not to speak against God. Even though men like Shimei, Absalom and Joab seemed to go scot-free David was experiencing great suffering because of his sin. With this …

David Describes His Enemies And His Sufferings

David describes his enemies and his sufferings. He compares them to cruel and insensitive beasts: bulls, the lion (vv. 13, 21), dogs (vv. 16, 20) and wild oxen (v. 21). When men reject God’s truth they become like beasts. Just imagine all these blood thirsty beasts surrounding a little worm! …