Man of Sorrows, What a Name....

 This is taken from 'Desiring God Blog' posted by Jonathan Parnell.

"Jesus is Our All-Sufficient Comforter"

Richard Sibbes:

The sighs of a bruised heart carry in them a report, both of our affection to Christ, and of His care to us. The eyes of our souls cannot be towards Him unless He has cast a gracious look upon us first. The least love we have to Him is but a reflection of his love first shining upon us.

As Christ did, in His example to us, whatever He charges us to do, so He suffered in His own person whatever He calls us to suffer, so that He might the better learn to relieve and pity us in our sufferings. . . .

But our comfort is that Christ drank the dregs of the cup for us, and will succour us, so that our spirits may not utterly fail under that little taste of his displeasure which we may feel. He became not only a man but a curse, a man of sorrows, for us. He was broken that we should not be broken; he was troubled, that we should not be desperately troubled; he became a curse, that we should not be accursed. Whatever may be wished for in an all-sufficient comforter is all to be found in Christ.

The Bruised Reed, 1630, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2008), 66.

Patience is a Virtue

If you are patient, you are rich indeed!! Why do I say that? What's so great about being patient? This is one question, I always ask myself again and again. Now, check this Wikepedia meaning of patience!

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

Wow!! That's a lengthy definition. But, seriously, patience is not breaking under......any strain or any stress.....

I have realized something that patience and suffering go hand in hand. Coz, when you are patient (with a person, circumstance, injury.....) you actually suffer. No wonder, we cower from being patient!

One of my favorite verses in the Bible on patience is James 5:7-11. Here, God calls us to be patient and points to the farmer for us to emulate. The farmer patiently waits for the precious fruit of the earth. Then, we are called to look to the suffering prophets and finally to Job!!

I love the end of verse 11, "You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful."

Hence, I will conclude that it is good to be patient and wait expectantly under the Lord's hand.

Suffering with The Savior

“It is clear from Scripture that suffering is a significant thread that runs through the story of God’s people. In Jesus and because of his resurrection, the saints long for the time when ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying of pain’ and God ‘will wipe away every tear from their eyes’ (Rev. 21:4). But meanwhile, believers suffer as people united to the Savior, who endured suffering prior to his glory.”

- Michael R. Emlet, CrossTalk (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2009), 77.