Posts Tagged ‘Suffering’
Making Sense out of Suffering
FrontLine July/August 2019 | VOLUME 29 | NUMBER 4 As believers we have the privilege of magnifying the unique excellence of our God. When we glorify Him, we express our praise of His essential excellence. He is the Creator; everything else is the creation. God alone is the unique and perfect Spirit in whom all…
Read MoreHappily Ever After – a daughter’s tribute to Brenda Vaughn and more
Preface to No Greater Love by Becky Vaughn For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18) Her name was Brenda Joyce. My grandmother was unsaved when my mom was born. She named her daughter after her…
Read MorePaul’s Thorn in the Flesh
Tom Wheeler FrontLine • November/December 2008 2 Cor. 12:7–10 Christians for a long time have speculated about the identity of Paul’s thorn in flesh. It is interesting to consider what Paul was talking about. God has a helpful message for all believers in various kinds of trials through this divinely recorded experience of Paul. What…
Read MorePaul’s Amazing Statement on Christian Suffering
Matt Recker Colossians 1:24: Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church. Paul’s statement on suffering is amazing on a number of levels. First, it is amazing that Paul rejoices in suffering.…
Read MoreJob Opened His Mouth
Don Johnson This article is a sequel to one from September 8, 2015. Job 3 launches the discourse poems of Job. This section, from chapter 3 through 31, involves the back and forth discussion between Job and his three friends. I have in the past called the book of Job “the first blog.” Chapter 3…
Read MoreReasons for Disabilities
A Biblical Explanation Amy Crane Why did God allow this disability to happen?" "Why does God allow people to endure severe physical and emotional pain?" These are common questions that nonbelievers and Christians alike ask after learning, for example, that someone has been diagnosed with cancer, paralysis, depression, or a chronic illness. Christians sometimes think…
Read MoreAmid Trials and Earthly Conflicts
Kathleen Barbee It is interesting to watch people from diverse cultural, economic, educational, political, and social levels respond to threatening situations. Their responses, oddly enough, are very similar. Often trials and conflicts aid in bonding those who simultaneously experience such circumstances. Christians must be especially careful during times of trial not to let their guards…
Read MoreSweet Fruit From A Thorny Tree
Charles Spurgeon At times when our heavenly Father weighs out to us a portion of wormwood and gall in the form of bloody pain, we very naturally ask the reason why. Human nature at times asks the question in petulance and gets no answer. Faith asks with bated breath and gains a gracious reply. Our…
Read MoreWith Job in the School of Suffering
Layton Talbert God’s people can experience different kinds of suffering. First Peter focuses on a class of suffering that, humanly speaking, we do not deserve. We call it persecution — suffering for our faith in and faithfulness to Christ. Lamentations portrays another type of suffering that is deserved. We call it chastisement — suffering the…
Read MoreThe Race That Is Set Before Us
Bob Condict Not one among us is permitted to chart out his own race. But each one of us must “run with patience the race that is set before us.” In our day of highly competitive athletics each runner wants to make sure that the race he must run is the same as that of…
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