Welcome to Truth Matters Church, and thank you for downloading this devotional titled, Rejoice in Suffering, from our series in Colossians. In Colossians 1 verse 24, the Apostle Paul wrote, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. Throughout the New Testament, the apostles reminded believers to be joyful at all times. Paul included these reminders in many of his epistles, likely because he was so intimately acquainted with suffering. A good summary of the trials and tribulations that Paul endured in his ministry is outlined in 2 Corinthians 11, and it is a doozy. Church tradition tells us that Paul was eventually beheaded for his faith under Nero's rule. Now, while Paul and many other Christians faced terrible persecutions and trials for their faith, it is important to pay attention to the attitude they each had, and Paul exhibited it plainly right here when he says, Paul was serious when he said he rejoiced in suffering. He and the other apostles recognized the value of suffering. In Romans 5 verses 3-4 he wrote, But we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Likewise, in Acts 5, verse 41, we see how the apostles rejoiced after they were scolded and beaten by the Pharisees for preaching the gospel. It says there, "...then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. These men truly considered it a privilege to suffer for their Lord." So, what is our attitude toward suffering? Do we exhibit joy when we're going through tough trials or being persecuted for our faith? Or do we complain, fight, argue, and threaten to sue because our rights are violated? It's a tough question, but we've got to ask this honestly of ourselves. Paul continued with, At first glance, this seems like a rather strange statement. Is Paul saying that what Jesus suffered on the cross wasn't sufficient? Were Paul's afflictions somehow adding to Christ's atonement? No, not at all. A better way to understand this is to see it from Paul's perspective, in that he viewed his present suffering as still insufficient to make him more like his Savior. Paul understood, like the other apostles, that suffering for Christ's sake allowed him to have a deeper relationship with Jesus, and this allowed him to be a more effective minister of the gospel, which he goes on to explain in much more detail in the following verses. And, in the same manner, we too should consider our trials and persecutions as a means to both glorify God and to make us more like Christ. Jesus promised that we would suffer persecution just like He did. See John 15 verses 18-21. Romans 8.29 states, For those whom He, God, foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. We ought to remember that as Christians, we will face hard times and difficult situations that God will use to better conform us to the image of His Son, and ultimately, to make the ministry that He called us to more impactful. This refining process can certainly be unpleasant, but imagine the effect when people see us rejoicing in suffering. They may wonder where the source of our hope comes from, or why we're not worried, or why we seem at peace amid a terrible storm. The Spirit may even open up an opportunity for us to share the gospel through suffering. When we have the proper attitude in times of distress, not blaming God or telling everybody how bad life is, but instead living with an attitude of thanksgiving and joy, our witness and testimony will have a greater influence on those around us. So when these times come, and they certainly will, let's remember to rejoice knowing that God is at work to make us more like His Son Jesus. Thank you again for downloading this devotional from Truth Matters Church. You can find many more like this on our website, truthmatterschurch.org, and subscribe to our podcast on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify. Have a blessed day.