1 Peter 4:1 (NLT)
“So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too.”
Few evangelists in the West would invite unbelievers to Christian commitment with a promise of suffering to come and yet a life following the example and teaching of Jesus cannot ignore this essential element of discipleship. The relative affluence and comfort that many of us in rich countries enjoy has made us shy away from any kind of hardship and caused many to struggle to accept suffering as a gift from God. An important lesson I learnt from African Christians I lived with in Niger was their patient endurance in the face of physical pain and their readiness to bear each other’s burdens in times of sickness and mourning. God can use times of suffering to build faith, to break down barriers between people and draw out compassion but will we allow him?
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