What if God gave you a life of suffering so he could bless you eternally?

[Der Alte]

Some might say well couldn't he have just given you the blessing without the suffering? The answer is yes but if he blesses you eternally after you have suffered for a lifetime then that blessing means so much more than if you have always had it good.
I see this in my life because God could have put me in a family where we have everything and life is as good as it gets but he wanted to give me the best he had and that meant enduring a life of poverty and severe illness. And I thank him for blessing me with knowing true pain and suffering so I could know true joy and happiness.

Is that what you really believe about God how He treats those who love and serve him?

 

[Jamdoc]

Oftentimes the blessings that we do receive in this life are only apparent when they stand in contrast to our sufferings and struggles. Most of us are blessed with many things. Being able to turn on a tap and have hot or cold running water for instance. But many of us take this for granted but really it is a blessing. Every second that God continues to grant us life is a blessing.

These things are rarely even visible to us without the suffering that gives contrast. As you say those who live in comfort tend to take everything for granted.

Neither extreme points out the blessings that God gives you.
If you are living a totally comfortable life then yes you take things given to you for granted.
But if you are living a life of affliction and chronic suffering, you also cannot see the blessings because the suffering is too great. When you're in a lot of pain you literally cannot think about anything other than how much you are hurting. Everything else is lost in that pain.
There is a middle ground where you suffer some but it highlights the blessings you are given.

Proverbs 30:8-9

8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

 

[Jamdoc]

Is that what you really believe about God how He treats those who love and serve him?

God does allow those who love and serve him to suffer, the bible is full of examples. Job is the most obvious one.

 

[Macchiato]

Thing is though God NEVER created MAN to live a life of sorrow and suffering. God's original intent was that mankind would constantly live in PEACE and all things going well. See the Garden of Eden. Yes they were given mandate to make the rest of the Earth like the Garden in Eden and such was good to allow them an outlet to express their creative abilities, to give them meaning with things to achieve and accomplish but as far as suffering no that was never God's intent and he's a God who does not change.

This raises the question well if God wanted something to be a certain way well it just would be. As for me I don't see that in scripture at least in the way that we're talking about here.

I agree. There's plenty of christians that follow God whole heartedly and have worldly blessings like a spouse, home, good job ect nothing wrong with it as long as it doesn't become an idol. Abraham was wealthy and so was Job before the testing. The thing for me is-- I hate when people say if God did it for me He can do it for you. No doubt He can but the issue is we all have different journeys and what God wants and wills for one isnt the same for another so that's not neccessarily true. That's when people start chasing prosperity gospel ect.

God sends trials and tribulations. Is sickness not a trial and tribulation, @Strong in Him ?

He indeed does.

It can be - but Scripture also says that every good and perfect gift comes from God, James 1:17.
Is a trial or tribulation a perfect gift? Would you welcome a brain tumour as the best gift God has ever given you?

I remember Jesus saying a man was born blind for the simple sole purpose to display God's glory. Its not fun but God does send stuff like this for refining and testing of faith. Job scrapped off boils during his test.

Neither extreme points out the blessings that God gives you.
If you are living a totally comfortable life then yes you take things given to you for granted.
But if you are living a life of affliction and chronic suffering, you also cannot see the blessings because the suffering is too great. When you're in a lot of pain you literally cannot think about anything other than how much you are hurting. Everything else is lost in that pain.
There is a middle ground where you suffer some but it highlights the blessings you are given.

Proverbs 30:8-9

I agree to an extent but the simple fact is that it varies. Some people are on one extreme or the other. Some endure a life of pain and another is born with a silver spoon. Then a good portion are born on middle ground.

God does allow those who love and serve him to suffer, the bible is full of examples. Job is the most obvious one.

Yes. The student isnt better than the master. Jesus said we WILL have trouble but He gives us peace.

 

[Jamdoc]

I agree to an extent but the simple fact is that it varies. Some people are on one extreme or the other. Some endure a life of pain and another is born with a silver spoon. Then a good portion are born on middle ground.
Yes. The student isnt better than the master. Jesus said we WILL have trouble but He gives us peace.

I suppose there are some people who are rich who still give God the credit for everything good in their life
However I have a hard time even imagining someone in excruciating pain being able to recognize the blessings just from a physiological standpoint. One of the reasons why torture is an ineffective interrogation method is because when a person is in that much pain they will say whatever they think will make the pain stop, because they can't think of anything other than how much pain they are in.

 

[Macchiato]

I suppose there are some people who are rich who still give God the credit for everything good in their life
However I have a hard time even imagining someone in excruciating pain being able to recognize the blessings just from a physiological standpoint. One of the reasons why torture is an ineffective interrogation method is because when a person is in that much pain they will say whatever they think will make the pain stop, because they can't think of anything other than how much pain they are in.

Paul did. After his conversion his life was hellish but He was sold out for God. Also the disciples were Martyred. Remember Stephen?

 

[Strong in Him]

He indeed does.

I agree with most of your post, but I don't agree that God sends trials and troubles.
He allows them - which may sound like the same thing. But, to me, sends implies that he dreams up troubles, illnesses and problems for us to go through - just as we might carefully select a present for someone - so that we can prove something to ourselves, or him, learn something or be able to better appreciate what we have.
If that were true, I don't believe that John could say that he is light with no darkness in him at all - it would surely be a wicked and warped mind that would dream up motor neuron disease, for example, or Parkinson's, MS, Alzheimer's etc etc. We say "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy", so why would God; our loving heavenly Father?
James also says that every good and perfect gift comes from God - illnesses are neither of those things.

 

[bèlla]

There are many people with physical ailments who don’t spend the day focused on discomfort. I’ve known my share and was the same. I couldn’t sit at a desk for more than 10 minutes without needing to lay down. And it took 15 to 20 minutes to walk a block depending on length and I didn’t drive. Life wasn’t a cakewalk.

I could have spent my days feeling sorry for myself. I went from healthy to debilitated with no warning. I had a reason to be upset. But it wouldn’t change anything.

I didn’t define myself by my condition nor did anyone else. They hated seeing me suffer but they didn’t treat me like I was helpless. And I wasn’t coddled either. I had assistance and looked after myself. I didn’t want to be a burden or crippled internally. Filling my head with negative thoughts had no upside.

It has nothing to do with your circumstances. It’s your mindset within the trial that makes a difference. Some of that is innate, circumstantial, and a reflection of maturity. You can bear up with dignity in your weakness or believe you’re useless. The choice is yours.

Physical illness can be infectious if you permit it. It creeps into the mind and heart and poisons them. We may never understand the reasons for our ailments. Only God does. Suffering is always unpleasant for the bearer. But there are greater hurts.

Look beyond yourself. Do something for others everyday. Pray for the forgotten and overlooked. Be an ear, study partner, mentor or friend. There’s a lot you can do.

Your in His Service,

~bella

 

[Jamdoc]

Paul did. After his conversion his life was hellish but He was sold out for God. Also the disciples were Martyred. Remember Stephen?

Being executed or even being stoned is not the same as being tortured. Under torture they're not killing you, there's no discernable end to the pain.
There are probably some people who confessed to witchcraft under the inquisition, just to end the torture.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Some might say well couldn't he have just given you the blessing without the suffering? The answer is yes but if he blesses you eternally after you have suffered for a lifetime then that blessing means so much more than if you have always had it good.

I see this in my life because God could have put me in a family where we have everything and life is as good as it gets but he wanted to give me the best he had and that meant enduring a life of poverty and severe illness. And I thank him for blessing me with knowing true pain and suffering so I could know true joy and happiness.

Amen. I think all of us have had it rough in one way, shape, or form. We should be looking in sight of eternity, not in ways of the here and now.

Song of encouragement:

 

[Macchiato]

I agree with most of your post, but I don't agree that God sends trials and troubles.
He allows them - which may sound like the same thing. But, to me, sends implies that he dreams up troubles, illnesses and problems for us to go through - just as we might carefully select a present for someone - so that we can prove something to ourselves, or him, learn something or be able to better appreciate what we have.
If that were true, I don't believe that John could say that he is light with no darkness in him at all - it would surely be a wicked and warped mind that would dream up motor neuron disease, for example, or Parkinson's, MS, Alzheimer's etc etc. We say "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy", so why would God; our loving heavenly Father?
James also says that every good and perfect gift comes from God - illnesses are neither of those things.

Ill get the verses. Brb.

Isa 45:7

International Version
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

And the purpose for this is

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

As for the illness and sickness : 9:1–12, Jesus saw a man who had been blind since birth. ... Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
( Not all sickness is used for this cause. But alot of illnesses are simply genetic or have other factors but that verse shows that man was afflicted to show God's power.)

My point is God allows and does indeed send tribulations to test our faith and genuiness. That could included sickness , poverty and all everything under the sun. Remember what Satan was allowed to do to Job. Job is an example of what an avg christian could endure. Aside from that we live in a fallen dark world bad things Just happen.

So things like this happen to test out faith, prove Gods power and to help comfort others who are going through the same situation.

 

[Macchiato]

Being executed or even being stoned is not the same as being tortured. Under torture they're not killing you, there's no discernable end to the pain.
There are probably some people who confessed to witchcraft under the inquisition, just to end the torture.

Lol those are methods of torture. Being stoned to death is terrible.

 

[Macchiato]

There are many people with physical ailments who don’t spend the day focused on discomfort. I’ve known my share and was the same. I couldn’t sit at a desk for more than 10 minutes without needing to lay down. And it took 15 to 20 minutes to walk a block depending on length and I didn’t drive. Life wasn’t a cakewalk.

I could have spent my days feeling sorry for myself. I went from healthy to debilitated with no warning. I had a reason to be upset. But it wouldn’t change anything.

I didn’t define myself by my condition nor did anyone else. They hated seeing me suffer but they didn’t treat me like I was helpless. And I wasn’t coddled either. I had assistance and looked after myself. I didn’t want to be a burden or crippled internally. Filling my head with negative thoughts had no upside.

It has nothing to do with your circumstances. It’s your mindset within the trial that makes a difference. Some of that is innate, circumstantial, and a reflection of maturity. You can bear up with dignity in your weakness or believe you’re useless. The choice is yours.

Physical illness can be infectious if you permit it. It creeps into the mind and heart and poisons them. We may never understand the reasons for our ailments. Only God does. Suffering is always unpleasant for the bearer. But there are greater hurts.

Look beyond yourself. Do something for others everyday. Pray for the forgotten and overlooked. Be an ear, study partner, mentor or friend. There’s a lot you can do.

Your in His Service,

~bella

What was your condition?

 

[Neogaia777]

I was watching one of my Youtube "people" the other day, and I ran across a video and was watching it and it was a contest for the best comment, and it was what your last text or message would be before a great societal collapse, or kind of end of the world scenario, etc, and the winner as someone who said:

"Welcome to the darkness, I hope you find it... Enlightening...", etc...

And the Youtuber picked that one as the winner, cause it is just so very true of a lot of us and has so very many applications, etc...

I don't know about you, but I've been through some periods of "darkness" in my life, etc, but I guess it depends on who you are also, as to just how enlightening or not enlightening it can be or is or not though, etc...

But and/or because how many of us are "forged in the fire", etc...?

Cause I think it is a lot of us, etc...

I find that the dumbest people in the world, the least wise/truly knowledgeable, truly awake and/or aware, etc, are the ones who really haven't ever been through much of anything, etc, or have pretty much always had everything (and anything), all of their lives, etc, and have never ever had that ever taken away from them for a period of time in their life ever, etc...

Or never had an illness or severe health problems at all ever, etc...

Just always, always "had it all", etc, and never lost anything, etc, or lost any of it all at all ever, etc, or had any of it taken away from them at all ever, etc...

Some of the dumbest, least wise/truly knowledgeable, or truly awake and/or aware, "people" ever in the world ever, etc...

And many of them get put into high positions and positions of leadership, etc, cause the whole entire world is like high school and is like one big "popularity contest", etc, and those people haven't really ever been truly through anything, or ever lost anything, etc, especially never "it all" ever, etc...

And we wonder why they are the way they are...

We get "ticked off" when find out just how totally "dumb/clueless" they really all are, etc...

But at least now we know why, etc...

Anyway,

God Bless!

 

[Strong in Him]

Ill get the verses. Brb.

Isa 45:7

International Version
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

I know what that - OT - verse says; I don't believe that God sends sickness and problems, for the reason given.

There is doubtless a fine line between specifically sending something and allowing it to take place - maybe it seemed to Isaiah that God was sending everything? The problem is that James says that every good and perfect present comes from God, and I don't know of anyone who thinks that bereavement, dementia, chronic illness and agonising pain are either good or perfect.


And the purpose for this is

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
[/QUOTE]

Peter's talking about persecution.
He addresses his letter to those who are scattered, 1 Peter 1:1. When persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, Acts of the Apostles 8:1, the believers were scattered.
Persecution would test anyone's faith - remain true to Jesus and be killed, or deny him and live knowing that you have denied the faith and the Lord? That's why Hebrews was written - to encourage those facing persecution to stand firm, and not deny Christ and return to the Jewish faith. The church in Smyrna are told to stand firm and persevere under persecution, Revelation 2:10.

This is not at all the same as saying that the Lord sends M.E, MS, Cancer or whatever to teach and rebuke Christians.

As for the illness and sickness : 9:1–12, Jesus saw a man who had been blind since birth. ... Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Jesus didn't say that he had deliberately been made blind just so that God could be glorified.
Any treatment that he had received had not been successful, and God was clearly going to work in his life. But God didn't need to make him blind just to look good when he healed him.

My point is God allows and does indeed send tribulations to test our faith and genuiness. That could included sickness , poverty and all everything under the sun.

In practice there is probably no difference between God sending something and God allowing it; it still hurts when we are going through it.

But I believe that God is the ultimate recycler - he can use anything for his own glory, Romans 8:28. That doesn't mean he sends the bad things. He is a perfect, loving heavenly Father, and the Good Shepherd. It is the devil who is the bad shepherd and who comes to steal and destroy; the devil who sends what he can to turn us away from God - look at Job 1.
As I said, to think up an evil disease like Alzheimer's is not the mark of a loving heavenly Father - Dementia might cause believers to forget God, and they would be unable to learn anything.

So things like this happen to test out faith, prove Gods power and to help comfort others who are going through the same situation.

And supposing a Christian turns away from his faith and doesn't glorify God or help and comfort others? Supposing they forget they are Christians and everything that God has done for them, and can no longer praise and worship him in the latter years of their lives? Supposing Christian leaders get cancer, or other illnesses and dies from them? David Watson was very open about his cancer, wrote a book and gave talks about how he was closer to God and how he had been blessed IN it - but still died from it. God could have dramatically healed an international evangelist, but didn't. Same with Roy Castle and John Wimber, and I'm sure there have been others.

God's glory is seen in creation, in changed lives, in his people serving him, witnessing to him and being light - letting his light shine through them. God doesn't need to send pain, agony, sickness, destruction to glorify himself - but he can nonetheless receive glory in them by the way that we react to them.

 

[mama2one]

@ImAllLikeOkWaitWat

OP, returning to your thread?

 

[bèlla]

What was your condition?

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Sciatica
Rare form of migraines

All four were healed. It’s been 9 years now.

Three years ago I was diagnosed with bulging discs. I woke one morning and couldn’t move and collapsed on the floor. One side of my body was useless. I went to the ER and was admitted 13 hours later.

I was a fall risk and couldn’t leave until they gave me a treatment and occupational therapy cleared me. I was sent home with a walker but I never used it. They sent me to physical therapy. I was released after 4 sessions. There were 8 total and they expected I’d need another round.

The pain was gone and I did an hour long aerobic workout a few days later. I reinjured it last year. They gave me a preliminary treatment (different one) to see if the more invasive one would work. It didn’t help. On the day of the procedure I arrived pain free. They stopped the procedure on the table when they realized I wasn’t hurting.

My doctor said it was a miracle and never happens. Less than 1% of patients would have my experience and I didn’t get relief from it. The pain left 2 weeks later. She refused to do it and agreed we’d follow the same pretreatment course if it returned. Miracles happen twice. She’s a believer.

That was last summer. I haven’t been back. It appears the Lord uses my health to minister to others. The physical therapy staff was shocked and praising God. No one with my condition would be released early. Not given the mobility loss I experienced.

The pain clinic team was shocked. They knew the case and had the x-rays. But they have my records and are aware of the other conditions going away. It wasn’t a leap of faith to call it a miracle. The other diseases and ailments disappeared.

The Lord told me to pray for healing years ago and last year when I hurt myself. In both instances I was told to pray against the spirit of infirmity. The first go round I fasted for a year. I didn’t the second time.

I may have the gift of intercession. I’m not sure. Breakthroughs are common when I pray for myself or others.

~bella

 

[Abide with me.]

Being tested so God could find out what was in my heart makes sense in my circumstance, I was a godless sinner who was sent the same test for 40 years till I finally passed the test, and was rewarded on earth for turning to God in my absolute despair and surrender.
And I can even understand why devout Christians are tested if they have a rosy life, its easier to believe in God when all is well, but harder when hardships come, God needs to know if faith us real.
But what I don't understand is how God can not reward someone on earth who has done nothing but good, and believes in God? It's heartbreaking, why would God test one person to death and reward another less worthy like me?
I am able to believe in God because he has shown me the miraculous results in my own life, but if I only had the promises of the bible to go on, but knew no let up or support for my earthly misery, how then would it be possible to believe in God?
Even Jesus showed his followers his miracles so that they could believe he was not just another prophet.
Having said that, I turned to God with only the promises of the Bible to go on believing I had been overlooked in life.

 

[Neogaia777]

I'm told to reject certain things, or else accept some other things, etc, depending on what they are, or what "they is" at the time, etc, and then also to sometimes stop to consider some of the other things sometimes before deciding to either accept them or reject them, etc, because my problems are mental with these kinds of things, etc...

Thing around me, or "speaking to me", etc, which is pretty much just about everything all of the time with what I have, etc...

I'm "still working on it", etc, and still sometimes don't always get it right a lot of the time still sometimes, etc...

Depends on the day sometimes, etc, or how tired or not tired I am sometimes, etc...

And sometimes "a whole host of other factors" also sometimes, etc, like I said, I'm still working on it, etc...

Anyway,

God Bless!

 

[GraceInChrist]

Some might say well couldn't he have just given you the blessing without the suffering? The answer is yes but if he blesses you eternally after you have suffered for a lifetime then that blessing means so much more than if you have always had it good.

I see this in my life because God could have put me in a family where we have everything and life is as good as it gets but he wanted to give me the best he had and that meant enduring a life of poverty and severe illness. And I thank him for blessing me with knowing true pain and suffering so I could know true joy and happiness.

I don't mean to be rude. But, we aren't rewarded for our self pity.