Rejoice!

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:3-10 NKJV

How can we rejoice in the sufferings? Is it possible to rejoice in the sufferings anyways? If the Scripture says so, then it is absolutely possible to rejoice in the sufferings. First of all, what is suffering? Is it not everything in our midst? Waking up in the morning, going to work, coming home and fixing dinner, washing dishes, taking care of children, doing laundry, exercise, paying bills, cleaning house, etc. Doing those humdrum and commonplace things every day is a challenge but how to do is another. The latter is more difficult and testing than the former even as a Christian.

How do you handle if you were bothered by your very own families? How do you handle if you had to work with someone you don’t like at work? How do you handle if somebody cut you off when you drive? How do you handle if you got a conference call from your kid’s school for discipline? How do you handle if you got a dispute over the telephone bill or something else? How do you handle if didn’t like the dishes your wife fixed? How do you handle if your kids spent too much time for computer games? How do you handle if you didn’t like your church members or pastors?

The first and most frequent response of the people at such surroundings is strongly negative, crying out, “Why does it happen to me?” But the Scripture says exactly the opposite. “Rejoice in the sufferings!” It doesn’t mean that we are supposed to make plastic smiles at the sufferings. The Hebrews tells us that the disciplines are painful and excruciating at the time (Hebrews 12:11). Though it is hurtful, we rejoice in the sufferings because we know that it produces perseverance (stability), stability, character (reliability), and reliability, hope in which we are not ashamed of.  And most of all, we know that the sufferings are the expression of God’s longsuffering love which poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

How can we be sure of that the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit in the midst of troubles and travails? Apostle Paul explains for us how we can be certain of God’s love, even not His wrath. He reminds us of the unfailing fact that God gave His begotten Son Jesus Christ when we were the hostile enemies of Him. God loved us first even when we were still sinners. The demonstration of God’s love has been manifested in the bloody death of the Son Jesus Christ in Calvary. God did reach out His loving hands to people who were aliens and strangers, standing far away from the righteousness of God through not an angel but the Son Jesus Christ.

Paul comparatively concludes the incontestableness of God’s love as Eugene Peterson renders, “Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!” (Romans 5:9-10 The Message)

We have the undeniable reason to rejoice in the sufferings because we are in Jesus Christ who suffered and died in our place when we were still sinners, the enemies of God.