Does God Truly Care About this Earthly Life?

[BukiRob]

The only reason Jesus came to earth was to be a sacrifice so we could have a good afterlife, that's all.

No, its not the only reason he came.

Messiah was born in a Jewish culture in a Jewish setting surrounded by Jewish people who were largely observing the Torah. It is IMPERATIVE when you read scripture that you view what you read in that context or you miss what is being said.

The NT is FULL of Jewish idioms and if you are unaware of what they are you will not see what is being said.

 

[Radrook]

If indeed God's original plan was for mankind to dwell on Earth, as seems clear from the Genesis account, why would he change his mind? Wouldn't that be tantamount to an admission that Satanic interference frustrated his original plan. I prefer to think that he indeed cares about the Earth as is demonstrated by his meticulous preparation of it for human habitation.

Furthermore there are scriptures which involve the Earth and promise to restore paradise conditions.

Revelation 21King James Version (KJV)
21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; ....


Psalms 115:16 - The heaven, [even] the heavens, [are] the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

 

[orangeness365]

Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:17 point out that suffering is momentary compared to the eternal glory that comes from it. 1 Peter 4:1 says that those that suffer are done with sin. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:2 that those that suffer will later live for the will of God. Philippians 1:29 encourages us to suffer on for Christ. In Philippians the author says that they want to participate in Christ's sufferings. In Acts 14:22 we are told that it is through tribulation that one enters the kingdom of God. Christians are encouraged to suffer on behalf of Christ throughout the New Testament. Jesus said that those that suffer in different kinds of ways are blessed, Luke 6:20-23.

 

[Noxot]

The only reason Jesus came to earth was to be a sacrifice so we could have a good afterlife, that's all.

that is the mindset of some types of people and it is a pit one can fall in that is pretty common among christians. early christianity was still and is up til today caught up in the pagan idea of blood sacrifices. that makes for one brutal vision of God which leads to even more brutal visions of God.

Matt 21:33-44 (YLT)
`Hear ye another simile: There was a certain man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and did put a hedge round it, and digged in it a wine-press, and built a tower, and gave it out to husbandmen, and went abroad. `And when the season of the fruits came nigh, he sent his servants unto the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it, and the husbandmen having taken his servants, one they scourged, and one they killed, and one they stoned. `Again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did to them in the same manner. `And at last he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son; and the husbandmen having seen the son, said among themselves, This is the heir, come, we may kill him, and may possess his inheritance; and having taken him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him; whenever therefore the lord of the vineyard may come, what will he do to these husbandmen?' They say to him, `Evil men--he will evilly destroy them, and the vineyard will give out to other husbandmen, who will give back to him the fruits in their seasons.' Jesus saith to them, `Did ye never read in the Writings, A stone that the builders disallowed, it became head of a corner; from the Lord hath this come to pass, and it is wonderful in our eyes. `Because of this I say to you, that the reign of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth its fruit; and he who is falling on this stone shall be broken, and on whomsoever it may fall it will crush him to pieces.'

Yes, the Apocalypse only comes after some grand millennia long plan goes through, and we play no part in it anyway, except maybe to try and warn everybody, which won't work. God does all the work and gets all the glory and credit, as usual.

this is not what the kingdom of heaven is at all. the reign of God is the Holy Spirit which is the fulfillment of the love of the Son for the Father and of the Father for the Son. to stand outside the new jerusalem is to weep and gnash your teeth even though the gates are always open. darkness serves its purpose in the story of love. if we do not participate in the kingdom of heaven now then what good is it for us to stupidly look forward to it in the future if we must ourselves have our own freedom in order to be part of the kingdom. the kingdom will come as each person allows it to come. so in some sense we do have to wait for the fullness of Gods glory to be and hell will last as long as people make it last.

this is a hard world to be in but maybe we thought that the goodness of it was worth being part of it.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

It is plain to see we live in a world with much suffering. This suffering seems rather random - the atheists, Christian, or Buddhist all have chances of developing cancer, losing a loved one, or experiencing any other tragedy. As evidenced in the early church, the Christian is certainly not exempt from earthly suffering. Sure, some suffering may be directly attributed to free will, but this is not the case with natural disaster or disease. It is the old question: if God is all-powerful, and all-loving, why does suffering exist? To me, the only logical answers to this question imply that (just maybe) modern, popular Christianity has largely misunderstood God in one way or another.

(1). First, it is possible that God is not the extremely personally, all-loving being we imagine Him to be. Instead, He is personal and loving in that He provided the sacrifice (Jesus) that made a blissful eternity possible, but, is not really involved in the "physical" areas of this present life. Obviously, one problem with this is that God did (and likely still does) perform miracles. But why are they seemingly random? After all, Jesus did not heal every blind man on earth, nor cleanse all lepers. Is it possible that such healings are more of a sign of God's power than for the purpose of relieving earthly suffering?

(2). The second possibility is that we, perhaps, are misunderstanding the omnipotence of God. For example, can God lie? Could God forgive the sins of man without the sacrifice of Jesus? Can God create a rock that is too heavy for Him to lift (a tired question, I know)? Is it possible that, in a way that is beyond our comprehension and perhaps as a factor of another one of His attributes (such as holiness or justice), that God is limited by how He interacts with this physical world (and that is why He resorted to sending Jesus to die)?

I know this is a very old debate, and I certainly do not have the answers, but I am curious what others think. Surely, isn't possible that perhaps many Christians (or at least the average, modern Protestant Christian) are misunderstanding God? If not, how would you explain natural suffering?

I am not trying to argue a point, just trying to get some insight into a difficult subject.

Thanks!

Actually all this is explained in the New Testament.

Let me give you a few citations, then perhaps you should re-read at least the N.T.

Philippians 1:29:
without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Romans 5:2-5:
And boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

I Peter 1:6-10:
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I pray this will set you on the right track...there is so much more! Please read.

 

[Noxot]

if God does not care about this earthly life then we should strip ourselves naked and go drown in the sea

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Actually all this is explained in the New Testament.

Let me give you a few citations, then perhaps you should re-read at least the N.T.

Philippians 1:29:
without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Romans 5:2-5:
And boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

I Peter 1:6-10:
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I pray this will set you on the right track...there is so much more! Please read.

I should add, this world is a testing ground, according to Revelation, and a battlefield for souls. God cares about all our needs and wants, hurts and death as Scripture proclaims. He supplies us with bodily needs and blesses us in that realm, but our spiritual health must remain our primary concern....much can be cited, but yes, the Christian faces hardship, yet he is not alone....he will overcome if not in this world, then the next. Almost all the Apostles...all but John...were put to a painful death. See what hardships Apostle Paul faced throughout his life as an apostle...this must not deter a child of God or allow him to give up or lose faith.

 

[ViaCrucis]

There are two easy traps to fall into.

A common one is the trap which Gnostics, Manichaeans, and many others adopted; that the material world is at best irrelevant and at worst a worthless prison in which the soul must escape. As though the "real person" is some ethereal ghost inhabiting a physical shell--a body--and this is a temporary thing and that, in Jesus, we are looking to escape the body, the material world, and to go to this place called "heaven" where we will dwell as "spiritual" beings for all eternity free from all earthly cares. This is little more than Gnosticism-lite.

Another common one is placing too great an emphasis on the idea of a present glory--that our purpose here is to accumulate success, wealth, power, "prosperity", i.e. "glory". That what God wants most for us is to be happy, healthy, wealthy, and having our best life. One sees this frequently in the teachings of the prosperity preachers and in the lucrative world of Christian self-help literature.

The problem is that these are both very, very wrong. This world is neither an irrelevant illusion nor the place for our best. This world is a fallen world, but a world that God is very much concerned about. Because this world is God's world--He made it--it is His purpose to redeem it, and this He does by sending His Son, our Lord Jesus. God became man, the Creator became a creature, the union of divinity and humanity, heaven and earth has happened; and by which God has set about the work of saving, redeeming, renewing, and restoring the entire created order. Early Christian literature speaks of the day Christ rose from the dead as the symbolic "eighth day of creation". St. Paul tells us in Romans ch. 8 that the whole of creation presently groans in hopeful anticipation for the resurrection of the dead "the redemption of your bodies"; in 1 Corinthians 15 reminds us that the last enemy to be defeated is death and that at the resurrection of the body on the last day it will be that "death is swallowed up in victory". The future vision which the Prophets of old, and which St. John in his Apocalypse reaffirms, is the renewal of the earth and of all creation "I saw a new heavens and a new earth", Isaiah speaks of the day when the wolf shall lay down with the lamb, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and a young child shall play near the viper's den without fear.

Christ did not teach us that we shall leave the earth to enter the kingdom of God, but consistently insists that the kingdom is coming and, in fact, has come. "The kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the good news!" "The kingdom does not come with observation, no one says 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' rather the kingdom is in your midst". Not to give us glory in this life, but through the death and resurrection of Christ putting to death the power of sin, death, hell, and the devil; granting the promise of everlasting life to those who trust in Him; the hope not of some eternity as disembodied spirits in an otherworldly existence, but of the resurrection, of the fact that God is renewing, restoring, and making whole this creation He made and, we ourselves, having a place in that future world. To that end we have put our faith in Christ who gives us this hope, and in this hope have become partakers of the things of God, in the hopeful expectation and anticipation of that future age and, here and now, living out that hope as the people of God, the Church, proclaiming this Gospel, administering the Sacraments, and in humble obedience to God in Christ, by the strength of the Holy Spirit serving our neighbor in love. God has not abandoned the poor and the suffering in our midst, but has commissioned us to be the people who reach out to those who are suffering with the kindness of Christ. To be the people of God's kingdom, not through glory and majesty, but the kingdom shaped like the cross. To be the cross-bearing servants of God to this world of broken, hurting suffering sinners through the ministry given to us, and good works that benefit our neighbor.

Hoping in Christ, His death and resurrection, for the future life; and in the hopeful anticipation of that life taking up the cross of God's love to the nations--preaching, serving, being the faithful people of Christ.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Noxot]

to bare the cross is to bare the world

 

[throughfiierytrial]

This earthly life carries much meaning to Christians in terms of time spent in service to God. This service includes raising a family, working a job, obeying parents, being a godly spouse, preaching, teaching, caring for one's neighbor in terms of both physical and spiritual needs...while doing so we are often unwittingly flames of fire in the Lord's service.
The Lord visits His Holy Spirit upon us in declaring our faith...His Kingdom comes in this way...the meaning of "the Kingdom of God is within you".
The fact remains that there is another Kingdom of God spoken of in the Scriptures...the last day, Judgement Day, and keeping our faith alive and active in anticipation of That Great and Terrible Day is of the first and foremost concern to Christians as we are continually exhorted to watch and be ready, trust, don't fall away, etc.
We live in tents as Christians. For Peter, when referring to his body says in II Peter 1:12-14:
So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
Now where Peter gets this expression becomes clear when we reflect upon the life of the Israelites while wondering in the wilderness as well as that of the Patriarchs. What does it say? They lived in tents.
Hebrews 11:8-10:
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ...
Hebrews 11:15-16:
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
One can see that it was by God's design, and His marvelous fingerprint is all over this, that they would live in these temporary homes for our learning benefit. One can clearly see the analogy Peter makes to our earthly bodies which we too live in only temporarily until we set it aside at the last day and are clothed with our heavenly bodies. Another analogy is the temporary earthly home and the permanent heavenly home we go to. And we can see more of this symbolism-talk in that the Children of Israel were on their way to the Promised Land when they lived in tents. The Promised Land can be seen as Heaven.
I Corinthians 15:42-44:
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

We indeed will be given a new body...a spiritual body!

 

[Noxot]

I enjoy this section:

2Cor 4:16-5:21 (YLT)
wherefore, we faint not, but if also our outward man doth decay, yet the inward is renewed day by day; for the momentary light matter of our tribulation, more and more exceedingly an age-during weight of glory doth work out for us-- we not looking to the things seen, but to the things not seen; for the things seen are temporary, but the things not seen are age-during. For we have known that if our earthly house of the tabernacle may be thrown down, a building from God we have, an house not made with hands--age-during--in the heavens, for also in this we groan, with our dwelling that is from heaven earnestly desiring to clothe ourselves, if so be that, having clothed ourselves, we shall not be found naked, for we also who are in the tabernacle do groan, being burdened, seeing we wish not to unclothe ourselves, but to clothe ourselves, that the mortal may be swallowed up of the life. And He who did work us to this self-same thing is God, who also did give to us the earnest of the Spirit; having courage, then, at all times, and knowing that being at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord, -- for through faith we walk, not through sight-- we have courage, and are well pleased rather to be away from the home of the body, and to be at home with the Lord. Wherefore also we are ambitious, whether at home or away from home, to be well pleasing to him, for all of us it behoveth to be manifested before the tribunal of the Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body, in reference to the things that he did, whether good or evil; having known, therefore, the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, and to God we are manifested, and I hope also in your consciences to have been manifested; for not again ourselves do we recommend to you, but we are giving occasion to you of glorifying in our behalf, that ye may have something in reference to those glorifying in face and not in heart; for whether we were beside ourselves, it was to God; whether we be of sound mind-- it is to you, for the love of the Christ doth constrain us, having judged thus: that if one for all died, then the whole died, and for all he died, that those living, no more to themselves may live, but to him who died for them, and was raised again. So that we henceforth have known no one according to the flesh, and even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him no more; so that if any one is in Christ-- he is a new creature; the old things did pass away, lo, become new have the all things. And the all things are of God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and did give to us the ministration of the reconciliation, how that God was in Christ--a world reconciling to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses; and having put in us the word of the reconciliation, in behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as if God were calling through us, we beseech, in behalf of Christ, `Be ye reconciled to God;' for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.

 

[Noxot]

I think God can make a rock too heavy for his divinity to carry alone but could just end up lowering himself to a creature to pick that rock up. it shows both how he restrains himself from forcing his ways upon us and of how he is willing to save us and does indeed love us. I think that being a mortal creature is what happens when true being degenerates partially into non-being but that God did not care and decided to play with us in this endless dialogue of love. so life goes on in his divine plan:

Acts 17:22-31 (YLT)
And Paul, having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, `Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive you as over-religious; for passing through and contemplating your objects of worship, I found also an erection on which had been inscribed: To God--unknown; whom, therefore--not knowing--ye do worship, this One I announce to you. `God, who did make the world, and all things in it, this One, of heaven and of earth being Lord, in temples made with hands doth not dwell, neither by the hands of men is He served--needing anything, He giving to all life, and breath, and all things; He made also of one blood every nation of men, to dwell upon all the face of the earth--having ordained times before appointed, and the bounds of their dwellings-- to seek the Lord, if perhaps they did feel after Him and find, --though, indeed, He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live, and move, and are; as also certain of your poets have said: For of Him also we are offspring. `Being, therefore, offspring of God, we ought not to think the Godhead to be like to gold, or silver, or stone, graving of art and device of man; the times, indeed, therefore, of the ignorance God having overlooked, doth now command all men everywhere to reform, because He did set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom He did ordain, having given assurance to all, having raised him out of the dead.'

God restrains himself for the sake of freedom, innocence, goodness, mercy, playfulness, wisdom, and love. this shows Gods nature compared to the somewhat erroneous perception of God that the jews and the greeks had:

Matt 26:51-56 (YLT)
And lo, one of those with Jesus, having stretched forth the hand, drew his sword, and having struck the servant of the chief priest, he took off his ear. Then saith Jesus to him, `Turn back thy sword to its place; for all who did take the sword, by the sword shall perish; dost thou think that I am not able now to call upon my Father, and He will place beside me more than twelve legions of messengers? how then may the Writings be fulfilled, that thus it behoveth to happen?' In that hour said Jesus to the multitudes, `As against a robber ye did come forth, with swords and sticks, to take me! daily with you I was sitting teaching in the temple, and ye did not lay hold on me; but all this hath come to pass, that the Writings of the prophets may be fulfilled;' then all the disciples, having left him, fled.

Luke 9:52-56 (YLT)
and he sent messengers before his face, and having gone on, they went into a village of Samaritans, to make ready for him, and they did not receive him, because his face was going on to Jerusalem. And his disciples James and John having seen, said, `Sir, wilt thou that we may command fire to come down from the heaven, and to consume them, as also Elijah did?' and having turned, he rebuked them, and said, `Ye have not known of what spirit ye are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save;' and they went on to another village.

 

[BukiRob]

to bare the cross is to bare the world

To pick up your cross and follow him... Where is Messiah going? To die. Just as we are to die to the flesh or as Paul calls it "the old man"

 

[tickingclocker]

It is plain to see we live in a world with much suffering. This suffering seems rather random...

There is another theory you didn't consider. We live in a fallen world, among fallen humanity. This is not heaven, nor will it ever be. (It's not hell either, TG.) It's more like God's waiting room, His proving ground so to speak. What are YOU going to do with what He gives you?

Life tends to become what you focus on. If I focused on the horrors of my past, I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. If I focus on deliberately determining to do something good to everyone I meet this day, then just think of the possibilities! Who wouldn't want to jump out of bed in expectation?

 

[Noxot]

To pick up your cross and follow him... Where is Messiah going? To die. Just as we are to die to the flesh or as Paul calls it "the old man"

the world aids in killing us just as it killed Jesus, therefore our curse turns to a blessing.

 

[Demetrius194]

It is plain to see we live in a world with much suffering. This suffering seems rather random - the atheists, Christian, or Buddhist all have chances of developing cancer, losing a loved one, or experiencing any other tragedy. As evidenced in the early church, the Christian is certainly not exempt from earthly suffering. Sure, some suffering may be directly attributed to free will, but this is not the case with natural disaster or disease. It is the old question: if God is all-powerful, and all-loving, why does suffering exist? To me, the only logical answers to this question imply that (just maybe) modern, popular Christianity has largely misunderstood God in one way or another.

(1). First, it is possible that God is not the extremely personally, all-loving being we imagine Him to be. Instead, He is personal and loving in that He provided the sacrifice (Jesus) that made a blissful eternity possible, but, is not really involved in the "physical" areas of this present life. Obviously, one problem with this is that God did (and likely still does) perform miracles. But why are they seemingly random? After all, Jesus did not heal every blind man on earth, nor cleanse all lepers. Is it possible that such healings are more of a sign of God's power than for the purpose of relieving earthly suffering?

(2). The second possibility is that we, perhaps, are misunderstanding the omnipotence of God. For example, can God lie? Could God forgive the sins of man without the sacrifice of Jesus? Can God create a rock that is too heavy for Him to lift (a tired question, I know)? Is it possible that, in a way that is beyond our comprehension and perhaps as a factor of another one of His attributes (such as holiness or justice), that God is limited by how He interacts with this physical world (and that is why He resorted to sending Jesus to die)?

I know this is a very old debate, and I certainly do not have the answers, but I am curious what others think. Surely, isn't possible that perhaps many Christians (or at least the average, modern Protestant Christian) are misunderstanding God? If not, how would you explain natural suffering?

I am not trying to argue a point, just trying to get some insight into a difficult subject.

Thanks!

Suffering is when your blessings are lost by you, whether health, finances, good personal life, etc. Sufferrings can come to keep the person humble, since a soul that is suffering, can hardly be proud, and God hates pride, I believe, unless this pride stops being pride by giving to God the glory in whatever it is priding itself in, and not say in itself: look at me how good I am, it is I who did it, my hands alone. That is why if you do something really good, or reach a high-level walk -- expect the risk of sufferings! But of course, God can always deliver us from them, just always walk close with Him to always be in good favor with Him. It is easier to receive something from someone whose favor you won.

Remember Paul who suffered a lot, because of the amount of revelations that was given him: "...because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me".

But other than that, remember that we are parts of Adam (as well as now Christ, because we also have the Holy Spirit, besides our inherited flesh), and they have been told that sufferings and death will come, and are still around, for those who won't accept as truth the sufferings of Jesus who already became curse for us, healed us by His stripes, etc.

 

[Llewelyn]

That is not what Jesus said.
Faith,ceremony,belief,prayer,ritual,process,pronouncements etc will not of itself guarantee you anything.
What is important is how you conduct yourself.
He was very clear about this-Matthew 31-46-the Sheep and the Goats.

I think you have misunderstood me for my faith is my conduct. I am aware of the sheep and the goats and have no quarrel with the parable because I do those things by my faith. Doing those things is one of the aspects of drawing closer to the Father. How do you separate those from ritual? Is not a ritual something that you practise on purpose?

We are talking about life and the Spirit; not death and the letter that kills. God says if you draw near to me I will draw near to you and that is what I proposed.

 

[ml5363]

I think my father may feel similarly: God must not care about the world we live in because if he did then people wouldn't be so miserable. I think the thing I find most interesting is that people believe that they deserve better than this life. I certainly know that I don't. I am the worst of sinners and deserve eternal separation from God, where he gives myself and those around me over to our evil desires. But he chose not to do that. He chose to love us instead. He chose to live a mortal life among us and teach us how we are to live. He chose to save us. From suffering? Well, not in the way most people want. I believe suffering to be all about perspective. If your focus is on this world and this life then things that happen to you that you don't want are going to affect your entire being. But if your focus is God, then everything else seems trivial. Disease and pain may come, but it is nothing compared to Him. I may face evil and hate, but what can it do to me when I know that God has already won? Nothing. It can't do a thing to me. It's all about perspective.

Jesus has saved me not for the next life, but for this one. Because of Him the world can't get me down because I don't love the world. I love Him. And because I love Him I'll love others. And maybe because I love others they'll love Him. And hopefully more and more people will choose Him, and as a result less and less suffering will be felt and there will be more and more of Him.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33