Enduring the Ingredients of Pain and Suffering – EGP Blog post from April 29, 2018

“The Bible says that God can use the pain that we’re SUFFERING right now for His Glory. He can turn it into a GOOD thing. …

James 1:2–4 (ESV)

^[2] Count it all joy, my brothers,^§ when you meet trials of various kinds, ^[3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ^[4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 16, 19

He says, ‘Look, even if you’re going through difficult times, you can find JOY in that. In fact, you can count it ALL joy.’ Because, he says, what God does is not just redeem the whole WORLD, but He even redeems this PAIN in our lives. …

That’s why some of the elderly people you know have so much CHARACTER and just seem so far BEYOND us. … It’s because they went through some PAIN and they made it through. And God says, ‘THAT’S the way I use pain. I can actually use it for your BENEFIT, to make you a STRONG person, MATURE, COMPLETE, lacking in NOTHING.’ Because it’s during those difficult times that we actually DRAW CLOSE to Him. …

It’s like when you’re making a cake, you use ingredients like flour, and butter, and eggs, and sugar. And if you look at each [raw] ingredient…GROSS…the sugar’s fine, but you mix it all up and you throw it in an oven and out comes THIS! … You’re concerned about the END RESULT. And that’s what God’s saying. These are ‘INGREDIENTS’ He throws into our lives. But what we don’t understand is that—those things mixed in—He’s concerned about who we are at the END of our lives. …

James 1:12 (ESV)

^[12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

It’s EASY to love God when He just gives you EVERYTHING you want. But, what if you go through some difficult times? … Do you CLING to Him during those times? Do you draw near in FAITH to Him? Because he says, the person who receives the Crown of Life is the person who LOVES Him. And the person who loves Him is the one who ENDURES the trial. …

See, it was the deaths of my parents that caused me to think of these things and caused me to eventually FIND God and KNOW Him like I do. And ANYTHING that would cause me to find God is a HUGE blessing, no matter how PAINFUL it was at the time.”