---SHARING IN SUFFERING ~~
--"Living Light Daily"
----(By: Dr. James Merritt)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us all in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
----- (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)--

“We all know people who have been made much meaner and more irritable and more intolerable to live with by suffering: It is not right to say that all suffering perfects. It only perfects one type of person…the one who accepts the call of God in Christ Jesus.” [Oswald Chambers, 'My Utmost for His Highest']

We all have a choice when it comes to suffering. While we do not have the power to control our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to suffering. There are only two choices: Bitterness or holiness. Philippians 1:29 says that 'it has been granted to us not only to believe in Jesus, but also to suffer with Him.' In the same way that God has granted us the gift of belief in Jesus, He also grants us the gift of sharing in Christ’s suffering.

Why would part of God’s mission be for His children to suffer? As earthly parents, our instinct is to protect our children from suffering. But, because we love them, we know that sometimes suffering is for their good. Because we are wiser than our children, we see past temporary discomfort to the greater reward. How much more so is God able to do the same in our suffering!

There are two main pieces of God’s mission in suffering that Paul identifies in this passage. First, in suffering we identify more deeply with Christ. If we choose holiness, suffering will result in a deeper union with our Savior. We will experience Him in ways we never would if we resist God’s ways. Second, suffering gives us a unique ministry to others. Because we experience God’s comfort so deeply during suffering, we are equipped to comfort others in a more meaningful way. No one can comfort a widow, a parent who has lost a child, or a person battling cancer more deeply than someone who has faced the same loss, grief and struggle.

Each hardship we face brings a choice. Will you resist God’s calling in Christ to know Him and make Him known to others, or will you trust Him by submitting to His work in your life?

" Heavenly Father, You are wise in all Your ways. I know that I never have to fear Your work in my life. Please forgive me for the times that I doubt Your goodness and resist Your hand. Please remove any anger or bitterness hidden in my heart. I want to walk in the calling You have placed on my life to know Jesus and make Him known. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."

--TRUST IN GOD NO MATTER WHAT~~

~~"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."
---(JOB 13:15 / NKJV)--

~~~IF YOU love missions, you probably have heard about famed twentieth-century martyr Jim Elliot thanks to Life magazine, Elisabeth Elliot's books, stage dramatizations, the movie End of the Spear, and much more.

Then again, you probably haven't heard about Jim Elliot's older brother, Herbert Elliot. Bert and his wife, Colleen, left for South America before Jim and Elisabeth, and faithfully served the Lord as missionaries all across the northern half of Peru for sixty-two years. They finally passed away and went to glory fifty-six years after Jim's martyrdom.

No one was more surprised than Bert himself. While walking in a remote area of the Amazon jungles in 1985, near an area where he used to evangelize, disciple, and then "kidnap" the slaves of drug lords, Bert told a reporter that he fully expected to leave Peru with a bullet in his head.

Except for Saturday nights, when the local bar's music blared the loudest and longest, Bert and Colleen both slept soundly. Their secret? Fully trusting in God's sovereignty and providence. They just didn't expect to do so well into their eighties.

Do you ever fear dying before your time? If so, you're like other men and women. The challenge? To trust God no matter what.

-"Lord, You knew the day of my birth and the day of my death before the days of Creation. So I fully trust Your greatness and goodness. Father G-D, give me Your love for every person I meet. In Christ's name. Amen."

--'Daily Wisdom For Men and Women'~----/"EVEN IF" / Mercy Me ~--<https://youtu.be/PT_X7daBsCo>

----WORTH IT / 'TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN' ~~
--Touching Lives/ Dr. James Merritt

“You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of Me.”
----( Luke 21:16-17) --

---It is human nature to want to be liked by other people. No matter the stage of life, all of us, to some degree, care what others think. While this tends to be at its peak during the teenage years, even as adults we compare ourselves to and try to impress our peers. And if we aren’t careful, we can begin to live our lives to please people rather than to please God.

In Luke 21, Jesus is warning His disciples of what is to come. If they choose to live the life of Christ, they are forfeiting an easy, comfortable life. They will give up the approval of man. In fact, they will ensure the betrayal, persecution, and hatred of man. Perhaps the most shocking news to them was that this betrayal would not only come from Christian-haters, but from those closest to them.

Parents, brothers, relatives and friends would not only betray them…but would kill some of them because of Christ. That is indeed what happened. Most people believe that all of the 12 disciples, with the exception of Judas (who killed himself) and John (who died of natural causes) were martyred for their faith in Christ. And yet, Jesus promises them in Luke 21:18-19 that, “Not a hair on your head will perish,” because, “by standing firm, you will gain life.” How is that possible? By standing firm in the faith, even at the risk of death, Christ’s disciples gained what men can never take away – eternal life. That is why the Apostle Paul said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Are you willing to give up relationships for the sake of Christ? Is His approval the most important to you, or are you living to please other people? Following Jesus has a cost. This cost is different for every person. What have you given up to follow Christ?

--"Heavenly Father, You are worth whatever I may lose on this earth for Your sake. Thank You that what I gain is eternal. Please help me to be faithful to You, even when it is hard. Make me willing to follow You even when doing so brings mockery or hatred from people in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
-(**Some Churches and Home Ministries have used this song as they go to a river or small body of water to be baptized. Truly very tender, as Jesus is our Living Water [John 4:14] )

---"The River" / By Brian Doerksen = <https://youtu.be/qWyQsQxxvC8>
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~~~PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ~~

~~~Brian Reed served in a military unit in Baghdad, Iraq, in the fall of 2003. He and his unit went on regular street patrols to protect neighborhoods and build peace. It was often a thankless, fruitless assignment. Brian said his unit battled low morale daily.

--An exception came in the form of a church service his men stumbled upon. It was filled with Arabic-speaking Coptic Christians who invited the soldiers to partake in the Lord’s Supper with them. Brian wrote, “Celebrating the Lord’s Supper and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was the most important bridge builder and wall destroyer we could have experienced.”

They were “opposite yous” brought together by the cross of Christ. This is how happiness happens.~~

-"How Happiness Happens"/ML~
["Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
"Love your enemies, and do good and lend, expecting
nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to
ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father
is merciful." - (Luke 6:31,35,36 /NASB)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~SHARING IN SUFFERING/ GIVING JESUS THE GLORY~~

--"He will take care of the helpless and poor when they cry to Him; for they
have no one else to defend them." --(Psalm 72:12/ TLB) --

~~~WHEN MY friend Heidi and I returned home from our week-long adventure in Tuscany, Italy, we were exhausted. I'd had two knee replacements, and extensive walking was difficult. Plus, the morning we were to fly home I had a horrible bout of food poisoning. Heidi had an ankle replacement the year before, and after all our walking in museums and on uneven cobblestone streets in Italy, we felt like we were in our nineties rather than spirited seventy-somethings.

With my stomach in an uproar I had no choice but to ask for wheelchair assistance. Heidi opted for it as well to take the pressure off her hurting ankle.

Our wheelchair pushers whisked us around for what seemed like miles in both the Milan airport and JFK in New York. They took us up and down elevators, down sloping corridors, through security, more elevators, through customs and baggage claim.

I started thinking of other times I've asked for help. Every year when I can't figure out my taxes, I ask our tax professional for help. I asked my husband, Jack, for help lugging suitcases up or down stairs. Whenever I get a new electronic device, I ask my brother-in-law for help. Figuring out how to work my new TV, I had to call the provider and ask for help.

I wish I were more self-sufficient, but that airport wheelchair experience reminded me that help is always available. And so is Jesus.

I just need to come to Him more often when I'm troubled, afraid, confused, disillusioned, angry, lonely, and especially when I'm grateful for His blessings. I learned at the airport that asking for help is a beautiful, comforting thing. Since then I try to set aside a little time every day to simply thank Jesus for all the help He provides. ~~

"Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Rock, my Helper, my Problem Solver. Thank You, my Beloved Savior and Redeemer, for never turning Your back on me. I praise Your Holy Name Jesus.~ Amen"
--Daily Guideposts/ PL~--"You Are My King (Amazing Love)" = Newsboys // <https://youtu.be/e762W8EgVL8>
~~~~~~~~~~