The Gospel According to God By John MacArthur – Chapter 7 Reflection:
When was a time when suffering produced glory in your life?
This question has been somewhat difficult as I struggle to identify suffering that wasn’t a result of my sin. Looking at various definitions of what it means to suffer for the glory of God, the common thread that I’ve found is that all seem to include the idea that suffering with Christ includes as a result of doing what God has asked us to do. Suffering with Christ, and for God’s glory, is a result of picking up our cross and following Him. Christ was sinless, and his suffering was purely for the glory of God, and the sins of others. So how could suffering with Him possibly be a result of my sin? Now that’s not to say that the suffering we endure as a result of our own sin cannot still bring God glory, but I don’t believe it to be the same as suffering with Christ.
In light of this, and looking at my testimony this week, I’ve come to realize that one area where I believe I have suffered with Christ, is in some of the lost relationships that came as a result of following Christ. I can remember, shortly after surrendering my life to Christ, picking up the phone and calling every friend I had and telling them about the change in my life. I invited all of them to come with me. To this day, eight and a half years later, none have accepted. Not only that, but the majority of them don’t even talk to me anymore.
Now to be clear, I don’t consider all of these lost relationships to be suffering with Christ. Most of them were superficial at best. The ones that I believe have produced suffering in my life are the lifelong friendships. Some of these guys I’ve known for decades. We grew up together. They are more like family than friends. These are the very small handful of friends with which I do still have a relationship. However, our relationship has never been the same.
So how does this produce suffering in my life?
Well, mostly because they are lost. As stated previously, these guys are like brothers to me; I care deeply for them. And it breaks my heart that they don’t know Christ. Not only that but also the fact that they see and treat me differently due to my relationship with Christ. Almost none of them are themselves when I am around. They feel the need to censor themselves when I am in the room. Some seem as if they seek to change me back into the old me. And some have appeared to cut almost all communication back to texts, they rarely ever answer the phone, and getting together has been reduced to once or twice a year if I’m lucky.
All of this causes me a great deal of pain and sadness.
So how has this produced glory for God?
It causes me to dive deeper into God’s word. It drives in me a strong desire to know more about who God is. Some of these guys have questions. It’s sometimes questionable whether their questions are rooted in curiosity or in an attempt to prove me wrong. Nonetheless, they drive me deeper into God’s word as I seek answers, and as a result, I gain a better understanding of who God is, and I come closer to Him. Not only that, but even when those answers don’t satisfy my friends, they better equip me to share my faith with others.
For every lost or broken relationship that I have as a result of my decision to follow Christ, I’ve gained ten brothers and sisters in Christ or more. They’ve stood by me when no one else would. I know I can call on them whenever I have a need, and sometimes they even see my needs before I do. He has already begun to make good on His promise in Mark 10:29-30, and that too brings Him glory.
Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (Mk. 10:29-30)