Suffering is good for you.

[sherry40]

Perhaps you already know this but by putting it down I also retain the info better. I learned something from my devotion today. That was that suffering is good for us. How? well lets look at the verse:

Romans 5
Peace and Joy
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So we should Rejoice in our sufferings Because suffering produces perseverance and
perseverance produces character and character produces hope . So suffering while unpleasant
is actually working for our benefit. What a great God we have who can even use our problems to smooth out the flaws in us. So if you are having a lot of problems remember romans 5:1-5 and rejoice!!

 

[AliOgg]

Thank you for the timely reminder

And God Bless All His Peoples.

 

[graysparrow]

1. This is the meaning of suffering, which is truly supernatural and at the same time human. It is supernatural because it is rooted in the divine mystery of the Redemption of the world, and it is likewise deeply human, because in it the person discovers himself, his own humanity, his own dignity, his own mission.
Suffering is certainly part of the mystery of man. Perhaps suffering is not wrapped up as much as man is by this mystery, which is an especially impenetrable one. The Second Vatican Council expressed this truth that "...only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. In fact..., Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear"(100). If these words refer to everything that concerns the mystery of man, then they certainly refer in a very special way to human suffering. Precisely at this point the "revealing of man to himself and making his supreme vocation clear" is particularly indispensable. It also happens as experience proves—that this can be particularly dramatic. But when it is completely accomplished and becomes the light of human life, it is particularly blessed. "Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful"(101).



http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/j..._jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris_en.html

 

[UMP]

Perhaps you already know this but by putting it down I also retain the info better. I learned something from my devotion today. That was that suffering is good for us. How? well lets look at the verse:

Romans 5
Peace and Joy
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So we should Rejoice in our sufferings Because suffering produces perseverance and
perseverance produces character and character produces hope . So suffering while unpleasant
is actually working for our benefit. What a great God we have who can even use our problems to smooth out the flaws in us. So if you are having a lot of problems remember romans 5:1-5 and rejoice!!

Yes,
I would most definitely agree, however, suffering is not pleasant and at least in my case causes me to fear.
In time of trouble, I find much comfort in this verse:

Isaiah 41,
[10] Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

By the grace of God, may we be able to say with Job:

Job 13:
[15] Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

 

[Dondi]

Perhaps you already know this but by putting it down I also retain the info better. I learned something from my devotion today. That was that suffering is good for us. How? well lets look at the verse:

Romans 5
Peace and Joy
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So we should Rejoice in our sufferings Because suffering produces perseverance and
perseverance produces character and character produces hope . So suffering while unpleasant
is actually working for our benefit. What a great God we have who can even use our problems to smooth out the flaws in us. So if you are having a lot of problems remember romans 5:1-5 and rejoice!!

"Suffering is good for us."

It depends on what kind of suffering we are experiencing. In the passage above, another version would tranlate "sufferings" as "tribulations", which denotes a sense of being persecuted for doing good. If we suffer for the cause of Christ, we glory in Christ's sufferings:

"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. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" - I Peter 3:16-18

So obviously it is better to suffer for doing good, than suffer for doing evil. Because sometimes we bring the suffering down on ourselves when we grieve the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, God gives us grace when we suffer in our infirmities:

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." - II Corinthians 12:8-10

 

[eoe]

SOME suffering is good for us as it refines us and makes us stronger. OTHER types of suffering bring us down and can subject us to dispair. The suffering of a burned out crack addict is not good suffering, it is a foretaste of hell.

I just think the OP needs refinement.

 

[sherry40]

even bad suffering is good for us. For the addict it can drive him to seek help or destroy him depending on GOD. Bad suffering can teach us to learn from our mistakes if we let it.

A stone gets polished by putting it in a container that has other rocks in it and it tumbles the rocks around causing them to hit one another. eventually the stones lose their roughness and become smooth. We are the stones and God uses suffering to smooth us out as well.

Now if we are not christians then the suffering is of no use except that maybe the nonchristian will eventually turn to God. Neither is self induced suffering of any good because we are causing it ourselves so running out and getting into trouble will only teach you not to do it again.

But for those who are called in Christ all things work together for the good of those who love Him. It also says to rejoice always and in every thing rejoice, so for this infirmed weak christian I can still say alleulia amen!!!