“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10)
If God is really on our side, why do so many terrible things still happen to Christians? If God is good and powerful and loving, wouldn’t he stop all of our suffering before it started?
It’s a fair question. According to some scholars, it’s a question Paul’s opposition was asking about him. If this guy is really an apostle of the living God, why is he always getting beaten, attacked, jailed, and persecuted? Shouldn’t God’s man be protected from harm?
In answer, Paul seems to say, “Look at Jesus. He was persecuted, beaten, killed. In his humanity, he was weak enough to die, just like all of us clay pots. But he was also God and raised to new life.”
Our suffering – especially for Jesus – makes us like him in his humanity. We are weak enough to be hurt. But God is strong enough in us to keep us going, to use us in powerful ways, to prove that he is powerful enough to change the world through fragile human beings.
Think: How has God’s power been revealed in your life and in spite of your weakness?
Pray: Thank God that he is powerful enough to keep you going even when life is hard.
Do: Notice this week how God uses hurting people to accomplish meaningful things.