What’s the point? - 3 January 2010 |
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Some stories about the sorts of things that happen to Christians:
- A couple of years ago, Christian nurse Caroline Petrie was suspended after offering to pray for a patient. She was later reinstated after a national outcry.
- In a similar incident more recently, Christian teacher Olive Jones was sacked after offering to pray for a pupil who was ill. Speaking of her frustration with our ‘politically-correct system,’ she remarked, ‘It is as if my freedom of speech is being restricted. I feel I am being persecuted for speaking about my faith in a country that is supposed to be Christian.’
- Or think of the countless Christian couples who suffer the pain of childlessness, or the trauma of miscarriage or bereavement.
- Or recall the two Christian evangelists arrested while they preached about Christ. Denied legal representation and without a proper trial, they were beaten publicly and thrown into prison.
These incidents have one thing in common: Christians suffering for no obvious purpose. The fact that ‘we know that for those who love God all things work together for good’ (Romans 8:28) serves only to complicate matters further, for it is simply very hard to see the good in these situations. How is God at work for our good when Christians suffer like this?
One aspect of the answer goes like this: One reason why the Lord exposes us to trials or hardship or suffering is in order to train us to fight sin and grow in godliness. That’s what the Bible calls discipline. And that’s what Hebrews 12:1-13 is about.
Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Minister's Blog