December 22nd

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen 1 Peter 5:10-11

We weak and fragile human beings shudder at the prospect of suffering. In fact, one of our criteria for happiness is the absence of suffering, pain or discomfort. All people have to face suffering at one time or another. Suffering is intimidating to us because it only seems to end with death or some form of addiction. It is the method that we choose to deal with suffering that is crucial.

The best way of dealing with suffering is to know Jesus Christ and keep your eyes focused on Him, holding on to the promise of restoration and being forever with our loving Savior and King. It is with Him that we experience the grace and mercy to handle such trials. Jesus will be our strength and keep us firm and steadfast until we meet Him face to face. When we hold fast to the promises of Jesus, we can experience the great delight of His goodness and lavish love towards us.