Suffering


This morning I woke up thinking about John the Baptist.  The Bible tells us he was one of Jesus' cousins, and that he was created to announce the coming of the Messiah. 

Malachi prophesized about it: "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me." - Malachi 3:1

And Luke wrote about it: "And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." - Luke 1:17

Then, when Jesus talked to a crowd about him, he said, "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." - Matthew 11:11

And yet, John the Baptist was beheaded.

...and all of the apostles were martyred.

Even God's own son was tortured and killed...

So here is the thing: Jesus TOLD us that following Him would not be easy, and that because of our faith we would endure hard things.  

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take u p his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" - Luke 23-24

But He also said this when his friends Martha and Mary came to him saying that their brother Lazarus had died:  "I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die"

And then He raised Lazarus from the dead.

---

We can be confident that following Jesus is the right path - and even if we may suffer (or die) for our conviction, if we stay faithful, our pain and suffering WILL end, and life everlasting awaits.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no ore, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4

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