Tag: suffering
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God Was Writing Another Story – Genesis 50:20
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. This is one of the richest verses in Joseph’s story. Joseph does not deny what his brothers did. He does not paint it over…
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A Name in the Middle of the List – Genesis 46:8-13
Genesis 46:8-13 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. And the sons of Reuben Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a…
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With Him in the Prison – Genesis 39:20
Genesis 39:20-21 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Joseph did not do wrong…
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When Truth Is Silent – Genesis 39:13-19
Genesis 39:13-19 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie…
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Chains of Iron, Chains of Gold – Genesis 39:1
Genesis 39:1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. Joseph entered Egypt a seventeen year old in chains of iron. He would leave it at one hundred and ten…
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The Stripped Robe – Genesis 37:23
Genesis 37:23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; There is more happening here than brothers roughing up Joseph. That coat was not just clothing. It was the mark of his father’s love.…
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When the Flesh Starts Talking – Genesis 36:9-13
Genesis 36:9-13“And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir: These are the names of Esau’s sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. And…
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The Limp They Never Forgot – Genesis 32:32
Genesis 32:32Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank. Is that not striking? Down through the generations, Jacob’s family does not memorialize his sharp mind, his quick…
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In the Heat of the Day – Genesis 18:1
Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. That phrase, “in the heat of the day,” feels significant. In Scripture, heat and fire often point to seasons of pressure, testing, and trial. And so often, that is…
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The Cry of the Altar – Revelation 16:7
Revelation 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. What a striking scene this is. John hears the altar speak. Whether that is literal or figurative, I cannot say with certainty. But this much is clear. The testimony comes from the altar.…
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The Day the Questions End – Revelation 10:7
Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. There is coming a day when the ache of not knowing will finally be over. John was writing to people…
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Mercy That Will Not Let Go – Revelation 9:5-6
Revelation 9:5, 6 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to…
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No Condemnation for the Crushed – Revelation 2:11
Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. There is something beautiful here, saints. When Jesus spoke to Ephesus, He had a word of correction. When He spoke to Smyrna, He did not. Why? Because…
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Ten Days of Tribulation – Revelation 2:10
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. That is a remarkable word. Jesus does not…
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Crushed, Yet Rich – Revelation 2:8-9
Revelation 2:8, 9 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)… and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but…
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Through the Fire, Through the Noise – Revelation 1:15
Revelation 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace and his voice as the sound of many waters. John says the feet of Jesus were like fine brass, as if they had been burned in a furnace. That image would not have been lost on the persecuted believers…
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More Than Information – Revelation 1:10
Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, John was not only a pastor and a theologian. He was also a poet. Under the inspiration of the Spirit, he painted pictures that could reach the heart of people living through crushing…
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Together on Patmos – Revelation 1:9
Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John does not write here like a distant celebrity apostle, speaking down from…
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The Prosperity That Matters Most – 3 John 2
3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. This is one of those verses that has been pushed far beyond what John meant when he wrote it. The prosperity crowd loves this verse. They build a whole message on it and…
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Hard for Everyone, Hope for the Church – 1 Peter 4:17
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? Peter says judgment begins at the house of God, and that can sound unsettling until you follow…
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Ashamed of Sin, Not of Christ – 1 Peter 4:15-16
1 Peter 4:15-16 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. Peter makes a distinction here that we…
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Pain That Turns to Glory – 1 Peter 4:13-14
1 Peter 4:13-14 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is…
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Why Not Me? – 1 Peter 4:12
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. Peter says, do not think it strange when fiery trials come. Do not act as though something bizarre has happened, as though suffering is an interruption to the Christian life…
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When Earth Stops Feeling Like Home – 1 Peter 4:7
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. Peter says the end of all things is at hand, and because of that, we are to be sober and watch unto prayer. In other words, think clearly. Stay awake spiritually. Do not drift through…
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In the Company of the Faithful – 1 Peter 4:6
1 Peter 4:6 For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. Peter says the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, and some have twisted that to mean people…
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When You Stop Running with the Crowd – 1 Peter 4:4-5
1 Peter 4:4-5 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Peter says that when your life changes, people notice. And not always kindly. When suffering has…
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When Sin Loses Its Shine – 1 Peter 4:1-3
1 Peter 4:1-3 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will…
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Keep the Window Clean – 1 Peter 3:16-17
1 Peter 3:16-17 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. Peter says believers are to have…
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Happy Through the Hurt – 1 Peter 3:14
1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye… That sounds upside down, doesn’t it? Peter says if you suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are you. Jesus said the same thing. Rejoice. Be exceedingly glad. Great is your reward in heaven. The world hears that and thinks it makes no…
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Hurt, But Never Harmed – 1 Peter 3:13
1 Peter 3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? Peter asks a question that sounds almost unbelievable when you remember who first heard it. These were believers living in days of real hatred, real persecution, real suffering. Some of them would lose property. Some…
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Peace in the Middle of Gath – 1 Peter 3:11-12
1 Peter 3:11-12 …let him seek peace, and ensue it.For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Peter keeps reaching back into Psalm 34, and that is a striking choice because David wrote…
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Lifted Into His Footsteps – 1 Peter 2:21-25
1 Peter 2:21-25 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him…
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Freedom That Knows How to Bow – 1 Peter 2:13-20
1 Peter 2:13-20 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that…
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Feeling Their Chains – Hebrews 13:3
Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Brotherly love does more than speak kindly. It feels deeply. The writer tells believers to remember those who are in bonds—as though we were chained beside them. In the early church…
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When Your Mind Starts to Give Way – Hebrews 12:3
Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. There is a kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with muscles or sleep. It settles in the mind. It comes when pressure keeps building, when people keep resisting, when the road…
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Faith That Wins Without Escaping – Hebrews 11:35–38
Hebrews 11:35–38 …and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,…
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Don’t Trade Tomorrow for Applause Today – Hebrews 10:32–34
Hebrews 10:32–34 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds,…
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Perfected Through the Road — Hebrews 5:9
Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. When the writer of Hebrews says Jesus was made perfect, he is not saying that Jesus was once flawed and later improved. That would miss the heart of the passage completely. Jesus was always perfect in His…
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The Prayer That Changed the Heart — Hebrews 5:5–8
Hebrews 5:5–8 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.Who in the days of his flesh, when he…
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Appointments on the Calendar – 1 Thessalonians 3:3–4
That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. Paul basically says, “Don’t panic.” Don’t feel sorry for us. Don’t be shocked that…
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Broken for Glory – Ephesians 3:13
Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. Paul says something that almost sounds upside down.Do not lose heart because I am suffering. Who talks like that? Most of us would say, Pray that the suffering stops. Pray that the prison door opens. Pray that…
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Chained — But Chosen – Ephesians 3:1
Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Rome thought it owned him. Nero thought he silenced him.Paul knew better. He does not say, “I am a prisoner of Rome.” He says, “I belong to Jesus Christ.” The chains on his wrists were real, but they were not…