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The Value Of Pain, November 27
For I reckon 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
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In the experience of the apostle John under persecution, there is a lesson
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of wonderful strength and comfort for the Christian. God does not prevent the
plottings of wicked men, but He causes their devices to work for good to those who
in trial and conflict maintain their faith and loyalty. Often the gospel laborer carries
on his work amid storms of persecution, bitter opposition, and unjust reproach.
At such times let him remember that the experience to be gained in the furnace
of trial and affliction is worth all the pain it costs. Thus God brings His children
near to Him, that He may show them their weakness and His strength. He teaches
them to lean on Him. Thus He prepares them to meet emergencies, to fill positions
of trust, and to accomplish the great purpose for which their powers were given
them.
In all ages God’s appointed witnesses have exposed themselves to reproach
and persecution for the truth’s sake. Joseph was maligned and persecuted because
he preserved his virtue and integrity. David, the chosen messenger of God, was
hunted like a beast of prey by his enemies. Daniel was cast into a den of lions
because he was true to his allegiance to heaven. Job was deprived of his worldly
possessions, and so afflicted in body that he was abhorred by his relatives and
friends; yet he maintained his integrity.
Jeremiah could not be deterred from speaking the words that God had given
him to speak; and his testimony so enraged the king and princes that he was
cast into a loathsome pit. Stephen was stoned because he preached Christ and
Him crucified. Paul was imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, and finally put to
death because he was a faithful messenger for God to the Gentiles. And John was
banished to the Isle of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ.”
These examples of human steadfastness bear witness to the faithfulness of
God’s promises—of His abiding presence and sustaining grace. They testify to
the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world....
They bore witness to the power of One mightier than Satan.... Through trial
and persecution the glory—the character—of God is revealed in His chosen ones.
The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and
disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in narrow paths; they are
purified in the furnace of affliction.
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