96. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. For him, suffering has a purpose.

19 January 2021
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith

1 Thessalonians 1
6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Let me share my reflection 2 October 2017.

"Suffering. Great, life would probably be, if not because of it. Agree?

1 Thessalonians 2
9 Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

Suffering like illness, imagine if we don't get sick. Todo-todo tayo sa litson, morkon at hamon; walang kikitain ang mga doktor at ang Mercury.

Suffering like pain, getting hurt when you bump into something. If we would be like Superman, then we will not stop on red at the traffic light. Would that be great? Actually, it will be chaotic.

Since we will not get sick or will not get hurt, then we will all live forever, and have a selfie with Adam and Eve; the earth must have been overpopulated many many years ago.

With that, it seems there is purpose for suffering, and still life is great even having to live with suffering.

Apostle Paul even spoke of joy and glory, in the midst of severe suffering.

1 Thessalonians 2
20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

"Lord, I hold on to Your Word, You will wipe every tear from my eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. You who were seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then You said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." Lord, You said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life." (Revelation 21:4-6). Lord, Your promise is my joy, Yours is the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen."'


Suffering. The death of Lazarus.

John 11
35 Jesus wept.

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Even before this.

John 11
 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Yes, in suffering, in death, we see the glory of God.

The suffering of Job.

From Our Daily Bread, Why Good People Suffer By:  David C. Egner

"The real reason Job was suffering was that Satan, the leader of the fallen angels, was trying to get him to turn from God. Because Satan cannot dethrone the Lord, he opposes Him by attacking His followers (1 Peter 5:8). He strikes at God by tempting us to sin.

One reason for suffering, therefore, is that it’s part of a larger, cosmic struggle. During hard times, we face the choice to trust God or to turn from Him. If we endure suffering with our trust in the Lord unshaken, we will thwart Satan’s efforts and glorify our God."

Suffering is testing of faith.

The words of Apostle Paul.

2 Corinthians 1
Praise to the God of All Comfort

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 
5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Suffering, I went through severe affliction. The Lord did not give me over to death.


My Friend, take heart.
Romans 5
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 
5 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.

My children's children will someday say, wala ka sa Lolo ko. For him, in suffering we see the glory of God. Amen.

Maraming salamat.



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