It Will End!

Good Friday morning! Oh, the pain and suffering! Oh, the despair and meaninglessness! Why would anyone want to become a Christian? We know that it is not all that way. However, by picking out only certain passages from the Bible, a person could get the impression that the way to all manner of pain and despair is to give your life to Jesus. Yes, we do suffer in this life, but we also have a Savior who walks with us every moment. Some of us do seem to suffer constantly and we wonder how that brother in Christ can ever stand to be in his body. We might wonder why this sister in Christ doesn't get the relief we think she deserves from God's healing. We might not know what we are talking about in such cases too!

Suffering is difficult as the curse brought on by Adam's fall does lie heavily on the land. But Jesus has given us some things that don't quite match up with the doom and gloom view of becoming a Christ one. When a certain child was born in Bethlehem, the angel gave us some good news: "Fear not! For I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people!" Later the heavenly host sang a benediction: "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men." If we have peace from the heavenly host and we have good tidings of great joy from God's messenger, and we have God's good will, then it can't all be about suffering and pain. God's good will is better than any treasure we might find upon this earth.

We may suffer for a season, but God gives us the strength to bear up and stand for Jesus. Some do suffer more than others, but God is not blind and will remember their suffering. The entire span of our life here on this earth seems so long now when suffering comes. However, this life will seem so very brief when we look at eternity. The choice is: do you want to spend eternity suffering more than you are now, or do you want the Lord to dry every tear and take away all pain forever? The Bible has much to say about the joy of living in Christ and the peace that Jesus gives. The Bible is good news and Jesus is the Savior! There is good news too in the verses that tell us the suffering will end!

Praise God for the new day!

Bucky