Suffering Is Temporary

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:10-11

In reading this passage taken from the first epistle of Peter, understand today that you will suffer… There are things in life that you must endure, challenges that you must face and trials that you will have to encounter; the message today is that you must find peace amidst the storm knowing and trusting in our Lord knowing that He is the God of all grace… This opening statement declares the very authority and compassion of our God; He will never see you go through more than you can bear and His grace will give you all that you need to endure and overcome… As a child of God the biggest mistake we can make is thinking that we shouldn’t have to face adversity; the best way to grow is through experiences and this is the very purpose of your current situation or circumstance… God is working behind the scenes, taking you to another level in Him and you must keep this in mind while you face the daunting task ahead… Know today that God will give you grace which is His favor over every situation; in other words, He will give you the resources that you need to withstand and triumph; I point this out today to make the point that God will give you resources so that you will know that God is giving you the ability to fight not to flee… This is the problem that disrupts so many Christians in their faith walk, you have been praying to God about something and He has given you the ability to persevere while you are looking for a detour… This is the true meaning of Grace; God knows that you can’t do it on your own and so He deposits His abilities in your life so that you can have the strength and the power to endure and obtain the victory in and through Him… This why are challenged today to acknowledge God for who He is and not to call on Him out of necessity… God knows everything that is about to happen in your life as well as the things which you currently face; He will make sure that His will is accomplished in the storm which is approaching your doorstep and your faith needs to remain in tact for the maturation to be fulfilled… This is why Peter goes on to say that after that ye have suffered a while, He will make you perfect… God will finish the work that He has started in you and the things you face are only pieces to His divine puzzle… The enemy believes that He can laugh at your struggles, but in Christ you can smile amidst His laughter knowing that you will prevail and God will have the final laugh…

Notice that Peter says you will suffer, but concludes the 11^th verse by saying, To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen…  You may not like the path He has for you, but you should still give Him glory because His plan will not fail; you may not agree with the choices He has made regarding your life, but you can declare that He has dominion because the end result is you win and He is exalted… When things become uncertain, when your foundation begins to sway, don’t throw your hands up in despair, don’t become frustrated about the appearance of the moment; instead, turn and pray knowing that the God of all grace will establish, strengthen and settle you… He will solidify your foundation, He will make your paths straight and He will lead you to victory… Peter promises us today that there is comfort after suffering… He says that the God of all grace; the unmerited favor that we don’t deserve but receive has focused on you and your life… Grace is a gift that is given out of compassion and care, Peter is saying that God knows truly that we deserve the suffering and eternal damnation, but because He is the God of all grace, He will deliver you from the end of Satan! Peter is reminding us today that God will not allow us to deal with too much, but will make sure that we go through just enough to understand the Grace that has been dispensed unto us… The bible says, “He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ return…” God is still at work in every situation you face, and he is molding you, perfecting you, and preparing you for Christ’s return… Notice that Peter says after you have suffered a while, we must understand that suffering is a step toward Salvation and Heaven… Jesus said to his disciples, “keep in mine, they hated me first…” he also said, “whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it…” Peter is reminding us today that Christ had to suffer before receiving all power and being placed at the right hand of God! We must suffer for a while! Understand that your suffering is a season (for a while), your suffering is a step (for a while), and your suffering is a stepping stone toward the word and will of God! We must go through so that we understand who brought us through… We must face trials and tribulations so that we know who has fought our every battle and fulfilled our every need! Through trials we recognize Christ’s power, through deliverance from those trials we see that He is full of ALL GRACE!

ALL FOR HIM!