Simply Not True

Hi Friends –

Can we just talk about how wrong this statement is for a minute? First, it’s not biblical … I mean Google will try to direct you to 1 Corinthians 10:13 to try at justify that erroneous statement. Well, let’s just look at that verse. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  We don’t know what we are capable of bearing but what we do know is that we will be tempted but it will not overtake us. We will be provided a way of escape so that we may bear that which we are to go through.

Look at 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 … Paul, a faithful minister of the Gospel, endured great suffering, “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.” If they hadn’t experienced such great suffering would they have learned to rely only on God? Would they know that He is the God who can literally break prison chains and set His people free for His glory? Would they know that the very Gospel that they were risking their lives for was worth it because it was real in the way the Lord had manifested Himself in their lives through their suffering?

Secondly, it just sounds wrong. It’s horrible advice to give to someone. So don’t. Instead share a comforting Bible verse or just share a hug and move on. But by all means bite your tongue if you are tempted to say the other. 🙂

Is suffering fun? No. Is it enjoyable? No. But can we be thankful for it? Yes. At the very least, we can be thankful in it as we see how the Lord is at work around us. It is in our weakness that He is made strong. Paul said this about the thorn in his side … ^“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

So if you are going through a time of suffering hang in there, my friend. Hold tightly to the Lord. Press into Him when the weight of your trial presses onto you. Know that ultimately God can and will use this for His glory and for your good (Romans 8:28). Trust in the fact that is a refuge for you (Ps. 46:1) and rejoices over you with singing. (Zeph. 3:17) And join with Paul proclaiming, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

I love you all!!