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Two Options

Posted By Christa Blakey On April 19, 2005 @ 10:32 am In blakeyblog | 2 Comments

Pain and suffering have been on my mind. I am learning what it means to wait on the Lord, believe in His goodness and be patient with all. These lessons sound nice, but these things are learned through difficult conversations, hard realizations and seeing a great deal of pain in others or caused by others. In all of these things I hurt. I keep coming back to this truth that all of life is in God’s hands and that my focus cannot remain on the overwhelming changing circumstances but on our good and change-less God. He is my healer, comforter, hope and life.

When in the midst of hurt these realities of God are not always fresh on my mind. I can sometimes become very preoccupied with disappointment, with what needs to change, wondering why it is happening or what I ought to be learning from it. Sometimes I try to justify my self-pity by stating what has happened: struggling with my job or church, being ignored or taken advantage of, hearing a stranger slander someone close to me… I think that if I state the simple facts that they make my wallowing in them okay. But then I remember 1 Peter 3:17

“For it is better, if it is the will of God,
to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

I like what John MacAurthur says about this verse, “You have two options. The first is to do right even if it results in suffering.” If I am walking in obedience and suffering and pain are included in it or come afterwards I must accept this as part of God’s sovereign will for my life. MacArthur continues, “The second option is to do wrong, which will also result in suffering.” If I compromise God’s word and settle for the way I deem to be best I will cause myself hurt because of my own disobedience. This isn’t saying that every time I obey God’s will I will suffer, but sometimes there will be painful things about obeying God. I might not get to have what I want or hoped for. I look at my life today and I never would have thought things in my family would be the way they are in terms of hurt, but I also never would have thought I would have the fulfillment and happiness that Lord gives me as well. I would much rather be in God’s will and live with some hurts in it rather than following my own plan and never knowing Him. It is all a matter of obedience or disobedience. Both options are present in God’s will. He wills that if I suffer, that I endure it in doing what is right so that I will grow in His strength and in doing so glorify Him. It is also in His will that if I do wrong I will suffer because He is perfect and just and if I am disobedient, He will chastise me.
MacArthur ends his thoughts with this: “So do good and avoid bringing suffering on yourself for all the wrong reasons.”

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