Sofrimento
O sofrimento é uma realidade da vida neste mundo, mas a Bíblia revela que Deus está presente em toda dor, produzindo caráter, esperança e redenção através das tribulações.
O sofrimento de Cristo
Jesus sofreu por nós, carregando nossas dores e enfermidades. Ele é o modelo supremo de como enfrentar o sofrimento com fé e obediência.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
Like one from whom men hide their faces,
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Surely He took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows;
yet we considered Him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,
O propósito do sofrimento
Deus usa as tribulações para produzir perseverança, caráter e esperança. O sofrimento presente não se compara com a glória que será revelada.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.
For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,
Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
Consolação e companhia
Deus consola os aflitos para que possamos consolar outros. Nunca estamos sozinhos no sofrimento — Ele é o Pai das misericórdias.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him from them all.
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken."
Fé em meio à dor
Os grandes homens e mulheres de fé sofreram e perseveraram. O sofrimento nos aproxima de Deus e nos leva a entender seu coração.
Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying:
"Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will return.
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’
He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.
But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen: that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles."
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.