TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
Read: 1 Peter 2:21-24
Listen: 1 Peter 2
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Suffering has been prevalent throughout human history. Many ponder its meaning and seek to overcome it. For many adherents of Eastern faiths, suffering is an illusion or a direct result of a previous life. The problem is us. We’re attached to the things of this world, whether people or luxury. Suffering is a result of that desire or attachment. The more you desire, the more loss you will feel. The way to overcome suffering is to remove all desire and attachment from inside of you. The person is the problem, and effort is the solution.
Christians look at suffering in a drastically different way. In the opening chapters of the Bible, we see the origin of pain and suffering in the sin of Adam and Eve. Creation was good, but their sin disrupted the very nature of creation. Pain and suffering become a part of the picture we cannot ignore or escape.
But there is good news. God is not indifferent to our experience of pain and suffering. He cared so much that he entered into the world and suffered with and for us. In the body of Jesus, God demonstrates that our pain matters to him and that he can relate to us in it. Christians acknowledge pain and suffering are real. We turn to a God who understands our pain and can use it for our good. What’s more, he has a plan to end all the pain and wipe away every tear. The problem of pain isn’t one we have to solve, but one God promises to.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Find a quiet place to pray a prayer of gratitude. Thank God that he suffered right along with us, that he cares about our pain and that “by his wounds, [we are] healed.”
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
