Let the Nations Be Glad! (Chapter 3)

I just finished this chapter yesterday and throughout it all I was struck by how little suffering I endure and wonder if God is as magnified in my life as He deserves to be!

Piper covers six reasons on why God APPOINTS suffering for us.

1. deepen faith and holiness - this weans us from the world and sets our hope fully on God alone. Jesus grew in more and more obedience to God. We have no choice but to fall on Him and receive hope from the promise of his Resurrection. Hos sad it is that i daily need this weaning!
2. make my cup increase - the reward of God's glory in Heaven is MORE. the eternal weight of glory is worthy. know this. remember this. treasure this!
3. price of making others bold - this helps us to awaken others out of their slumbers of indifference! how much more do I need to be a sharpening iron to get others and myself included out of idleness to worship the Lord?!
4. fills up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions - this is the means that God uses to bring salvation to the church. Our suffering is a visible reenactment of Christ so others will see Christ's love for them
5. enforces the missionary command to go - i do not want to let comfort, ease, affluence, prosperity, safety, freedom produce weakness, apathy, lethargy, self centeredness and preoccupation with security in me!
6. the supremacy of Christ is manifested - his power is the ONLY power when sufferings brings us to the end of our resources. this trust shows his power when his love sustains us when we cannot do anything ourselves. mhm YEAH!!

We rejoice because the reward in heaven is so much greater than the worth of all that we lose through suffering on earth. God's worth shines through the pain that His people will gladly bear it for His name.

I believe all of the above to be true. Since God has saved me, I believe I have witnessed God doing points 1, 2, 3, and 6 through suffering. That is why it is all the more convicting when I am not necessarily going through difficult times as much to see that my holiness and supremacy of God is decreased in my soul. I forget easily that apart from God there is no good and at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore. I want even if it takes trials and hardships for my cup to increase for the eternal weight of glory in Christ. Challenge and humble me Jesus with difficulties, to not be self righteous and self reliant in order for me to bring more glory to You.