SUFFERING & TRIALS: The Purpose of Pain

Pain. It's something we all try to avoid; vast quantities of pharmaceuticals are massed produced so that we can avoid it, in all of it's terrible and tiresome shades

C.S. Lewis did an amazing job dealing with the issue of pain in the world with his first published work, The PROBLEM of PAIN in which he deals with the issue of suffering, and if GOD is All-powerful and good, then why is there suffering in this world?
We dealt with the problem of evil in a TTUF article entitled EVIL - This Strange Predicament. 

Human beings seem to know intuitively that pain is not merely undesirable but is on some fundamental level, plain wrong; that it's something that shouldn't exist (but does, thus the high degree of frustration, doubt and even anger that we feel that results from this effrontery). 

JEWELS From The GOSPEL Of JOHN: NO LOVE LIFE - JOHN 5:40-43

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. 
I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject.  I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 5:40-43
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 41 I receive not honour from men. 42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. 43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

THOSE DEVILISH DETOURS

I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons, and I recall when one character wanted to pull a fast one on another, they would take a detour sign that was meant to keep people off a closed road that ended abruptly at a cliff face and turn it away from the safe road towards this danger.

Satan does this same thing; the LORD intends for us to walk the "old paths" (JERE 6:16) - the safe paths of blessing and safety by following Him and His truth, wisdom and grace, but the devil will do all he can to detour us away from these pathways of peace and life (PSALM 16:11), these roads of righteousness; to lead us away from them and into peril and ruin instead.

And he is very subtle about his methods, using all of his wiles and craftiness to dissuade us from the LORD and His ways and bring us to danger and destruction. So what are some of these detours?

JEWELS From The GOSPEL of JOHN: The WORD Revealing the WORD - JOHN 5:38-39

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. 

I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject.  I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 5:38-39
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

JEWELS From The GOSPEL of JOHN: BURNING MIDNIGHT OIL - JOHN 5:34-36

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. 

I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject.  I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 5:34-36 
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. 35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.

GROWING IN CHRIST – A DEEPER INTIMACY.

We all have friends, and among them, our best friends, and some of us even have BFF’s! What’s the difference between these three groups?

It’s our level of intimacy, right? With our casual friends, we have a minimum of intimacy; with our good friends, a greater degree of intimacy; with our best friends, the deepest level of intimacy. It’s been said that a good friend will know the names of your parents, but a best friend will know their phone number! 

The greatest intimacy that we as human beings can experience with another human being is in the marital relationship of husband and wife. But there is a greater intimacy to discover even than this! An intimacy with our Creator GOD, our heavenly Father!

JEWELS From The GOSPEL of JOHN: WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM - JOHN 5:31-34,37

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. 

I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject.  I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 5:31-34,36-37  
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. 33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. 34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. 37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.