We often assume that if we obey God, life will go smoothly, but sometimes the fiercest storms come when we’re faithfully following Him. In those dark seasons, when fear, disappointment, and unanswered questions press in, we may even wonder if God cares at all. But what we need most is not always that our problems get solved overnight; it’s remembering that suffering helps us see God more clearly than comfort ever could. Trials will either make us bitter or make us better, and that choice is ultimately ours. The deeper question in suffering is not simply, “When will this end?” but, “Will I come through this more like Christ than I was before?”
Discerning the Body
To partake of the Lord’s Supper is to remember the crucified body of our Lord. But when Paul writes to the Corinthian church the instructions to follow when coming together around the Lord’s table, and he tells them to discern the body, does Paul only have in view the crucifixion, or does he have more that he is communicating?
