Suffering

My word of testimony as always is a word of faith in God's word.
I read it ....I speak it .......I hear it..........I invite the Holy Spirit to give me a child like heart that will listen to Him as He helps me understand what it means and how to apply it to my life.

Sometimes the word of God is directly saying don't do like these people . Even while it is being written the words of the author expresses hope that "these people" will change from how they are doing. So I catch the Holy Spirit's teaching of how the change will happen.

Is it because someone says ,"don't do that," or because someone takes the time to help them understand how they came to do that in the first place. Giving them an idea of how to repent and go back and do this thing the right way.

My life is full of repentance. I am constantly going back and attempting to do things the right way.
The areas that I have the least repentance are the things that I have learned to let the Holy Spirit empower me to do.

Writing this word of testimony is a work of the Holy Spirit from the beginning to the end . May God be glorified as this soldier attempts daily to live under the blood of the Lamb and by the word of her testimony and love not my life even unto death.

Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

I am encouraged today by the hope of being able to learn through the things I suffer .

As I look through God's word the Galatians were asked , "Have you suffered in vain?"
The Corinthians evidently could not grasp the purpose of suffering. They were all upset because they were suffering and they were blaming Paul. He spends who knows how many hours of trying to help them understand how to respond to their suffering so it will not be in vain.

I think history indicates they never did "get it."

I got , that I wasn't getting it either , a while back as the pastor of my church is teaching weekly from the book of 2 Corinthians. As helpful as it was to see "what" they were not getting, it felt a little like having a blind fold taken off my eyes and realizing that I too was dangerously close to a very steep cliff and a wrong step could throw me off into who knows what .

Now that I am beginning to understand that suffering always has a purpose , I not nearly as afraid as I was. I am learning and not nearly as afraid because what I am learning is that God's love is underneath and above , beside and all around me .

As I put my trust in Him I can be sure that He will help me understand , how to not let my suffering be in vain.

Unlike the Corithians I realize that Jesus did not come to give us a better life than He had.

He came to give us the same.