There is that word we all hope will never come our way. Suffering is the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. Yep, we want to avoid all of that we can. No one asks for suffering. We seek every way possible to avoid it. Yet, it is a fact of life. At some point, we all will suffer in some way. It may be physical, emotional, or mental. After the fall of man in Genesis 3, mankind was no longer perfect. Sin started the decay of man. Our bodies were no longer meant to last forever. Therefore, as we age there will be physical suffering. When Adam sinned the sinful nature became part of our DNA. This imperfection brought genetic decay that is part of us from the moment of conception. As a result of imperfection, some never make it to live past the womb. Suffering is everywhere. Peter addresses the right and wrong of suffering in I Peter 2:19-24.
I Peter 2:19-24 “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
If you are suffering from something you did that was wrong, you need to take the punishment patiently. This will be acceptable to God. When we do wrong, many times our sufferings come as chastisement. God is trying to get our attention so that we will repent and not go further into sin. As the old saying goes, we deserve the consequences of our actions. God allows us to suffer for our sins because it is better to suffer here, where it will bring us to our knees of repentance than to suffer eternally in Hell.
The other side Peter is talking about here in these verses is when a Christian suffers wrongfully. If we suffer wrongfully for doing what is right, it will bring glory to God. We will be following the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He did no wrong, but he suffered horribly. He suffered rebuke; friends turned their back on him; people lied about him; He was physically abused by the soldiers; his own people rejected him; and He suffered all the way to the cross where his own Heavenly Father turned his back on him. We have never suffered the way he did, and all for someone else: you and me!
Everyone suffers differently. Some experience emotional and mental suffering. Others may inflict pain on them that hurts deeply. Sometimes friends and family say things that cut to the heart. Others may experience physical pain that seems unbearable. Whatever pain we have, we should suffer in a way that will point others to Christ. God’s grace is sufficient to allow us suffering that is good and right. We can suffer in a way that will cause others to ask us how we do it. This is the perfect opportunity to point them to the greatest sufferer of all time, Jesus. Everything in our life can be turned toward Christ, or we can be selfish. God wants EVERYTHING to bring glory to Him. Why? So that he may be exalted, and others will see Him and come to know Him.
I Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
