THE BENEFITS OF SUFFERINGS TO MAN

 

In the world today, scientific advancement has raised the living standard of man, and the progress of mankind has increased man's forms of enjoyment. The spirit of hard work, sincerity, endurance, and frugality, as in olden times, are gradually vanishing amongst men these days. Christians of today do not suffer as much as the believers in the olden times. In fact, they enjoy more pleasures. As a result, most men have the habit of loving enjoyment and hating sufferings. Spiritually they are as childish as babies who only like "sweetness"; they have neglected the moral in the saying - "good medicine is bitter in taste". We should understand the benefits of sufferings to man, so that we will no longer fear sufferings or fall off in faith due to sufferings.

 

I. Through sufferings one draws near to God

 

When an unbeliever leads a smooth and peaceful life, he would not think of seeking somebody to trust. He would most probably be obsessed by the human concept of "the omnipotent hands" and that ''man is mightier than the heaven". However, once he is faced with disaster, illness or grief, he may readily be" led to believe in Jesus because he would experience the help of the Lord of grace towards him. If God gives a Christian riches, health and peace, he would probably become proud and despise the grace of the Lord, thereby drawing away from God. On the contrary, poverty, illness and failure would lead man to think of the Lord's love and so he would draw near to God and worship Him with zeal.

 

In olden times, Joseph's whole household moved to Egypt because of famine in their own homeland. The Israelites multiplied in number and became a strong nation. Then Pharaoh became afraid and began to ill-treat them. He ordered them to be engaged in hard labour so that they would experience difficulties in life. In their sufferings, the Israelites plead to God for help. Thus God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from their sufferings and to lead them to the beautiful land of Canaan. Through their sufferings, the Israelites had revived their faith in God, David once said, ''The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Ps 34:18,19). Therefore, it can be seen that during sufferings we would seek God's help and with His help we would draw near to God.

 

II. Through sufferings one sees the world as refuse

 

Man is afraid to die because he loves the world dearly. Probably, he desires rich food, fashionable clothes, a beautiful bungalow, a big car and other luxuries which he has yet to possess, However, once disaster befalls upon him, he would certainly regard the world as refuse.

 

The sufferings of Job were indeed great. Within a day all his ten children were killed and all his properties were destroyed; moreover, he was afflicted with sores all over his body. The sufferings were indeed unbearable. The sufferings made him curse the day of his birth and hate his own life (Job 3:1, 11, 12, 20-22). In his sufferings, he began to see the world as refuse and he looked forward towards eternal life. He said, "And after my skin has been destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:26). Therefore, as Christians, we should serve our Lord diligently and looked forward towards the heavenly blessings. We should never crave for things of the flesh and forget about God. God said, "And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not; for behold I am bringing evil upon all flesh" (Jer 45:5). The will of God is often revealed through sufferings. They teach us not to love the world but to remember the Lord, our Creator, instead.

 

Ill. Through sufferings one develops faith and virtues

 

A person would mock at and despise another who suffers, probably because he himself has not undergone such sufferings. If he has uttered before, he would certainly have sympathy for the victim of the sufferings. A person's faith may not be revealed when he is leading a peaceful life. However, sufferings can certainly reveal the degree of a man's faith. If he is not discouraged by the sufferings, his faith will progress.

 

Job said, "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:1 0). He also said, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee" (Job 42:5). Job's sufferings made him knew more about God and strengthened his faith in God.

 

At the age of forty, Moses did according to his flesh and killed the Egyptian who ill-treated an Israelite. As such he had to flee to the wilderness to suffer there for forty years. During those forty years of sufferings God refined him into a man perfect in virtues, his character changed completely. The Bible says: "Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth" (Num 12:3). Therefore, it can be seen that a person who has faith and virtues is indeed a good servant of God and also a good example amongst the believers. Sufferings help in the development of spiritual nurture. Therefore, we should not grumble when we are suffering. Instead, we should learn to be obedient during sufferings (Heb 5:8).

 

IV. Suffering for the Lord brings great benefits

 

Once, the apostle Paul bravely declared: “Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one. I have worked harder… and apart from other things, there is a daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the Churches” (2 Cor 11:23-28). This records that Paul had suffered more than we have. Yet, he still said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18). A Christian who regards everlasting life as of vital importance will feel that it is a joy to suffer for the Lord. For the Lord said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 5:10-12). The Bible says: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). Sufferings make the sufferer undergo hardships. They make those who have been sufferers before, sympathize with those who are undergoing sufferings. One party receives tenderness and gives thanks to God; the other party practices love and is joyful – all these show the benefits of mutual help. One who loves God also loves man. Whenever someone suffers, we have the opportunity to do good. If a sufferer appreciates that sufferings would benefit him, he would no longer fear sufferings. He would instead utilize the benefits from sufferings to overcome his weakness through the power of the Holy Spirit. “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer by human passions but by the will of God” (1 Pet 4:1-2).

 

Life offers only continuous sufferings and anxieties. Therefore, Christians should have the determination to suffer in joy, which is their weapon to be victorious over the lure of the evil one. They should truly be severed from sin and become sanctified. Then only are they qualified to see God at the last day to enjoy eternal glory and honor.