2 Corinthians 12:9
Besides Jesus himself, no one suffered as consistently for God’s sake as did the apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 and 11:21-30, he catalogs the varieties of pain and hardship he experienced. God’s faithfulness to Paul was not seen in the avoidance of pain but in the supply of grace needed to endure it. Paul had such a deep understanding of the role of grace in his life that he said he took “pleasure” in what he suffered for Christ’s sake because it resulted in a greater revelation of God’s grace (2 Corinthians 12:10). When we arrive at the place of glorying more in the presence of grace than in the absence of pain, we know we are making strides toward maturity.
If you are in the midst of trouble right now, develop the discipline of pleasuring in the experience of grace–the greatest indicator of God’s faithfulness.
“The end of life is not to be happy, nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
