MacArthur on Suffering

Blues fans like myself are familiar with the John Lee Hooker tune, It Serves Me Right To Suffer.
The first verse goes something like this:

It serves me right to suffer
It serves me right to be alone
It serves me right to suffer
It serves me right to be alone
Because the life livin'
I'm livin' in memories gone by

As Christians we do suffer & if you're not perhaps you should be asking yourself why you're not, at least from time to time. Unlike this blues tune which unwillingly accepts suffering, we should be embracing it, as contradictory as that may seem, its true (James 1:2-4). Permit me to quote John MacArthur on Paul embracing suffering in Stand. Its worth a read.
Success frightens me because it panders to my flesh. When Paul looked at his own life, he thought of himself not only as a mere clay pot but also as a battered one: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9). These four contrasts all say the same thing, which is that Paul experienced severe trials in his ministry, but none of them prevailed. He goes on, The prosperity gospel is absolutely non-biblical. It is an affront to God. The way to power is through suffering and weakness. As Paul said, “For the sake of Christ . . . I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” All true servants of Christ learn through the years to embrace the assaults that cut to the heart, the mutinies, the betrayals, the disaffection, the massive disappointment, the heartache, and even the physical pain and suffering because they know all those things work together to destroy self-reliance. Paul said, “[We are] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:10). In other words, Christ is more powerfully revealed in his servants when they bear up under severe affliction. Jesus has already died, risen, and ascended to heaven. People can’t get at him anymore, but they can get to us. People will sometimes hate us for Jesus’ and the gospel’s sake. Paul knew all about that, saying, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17) and “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24). Can you and I say with Paul, “He took the blows meant for me, so I’ll take the blows meant for him—let them come!”? (pgs 66-67). Its time we starting gettings our heads around suffering in whatever form it takes in our lives. Its a difficult thing to do but do it we must so that we can count it all joy when we encounter the trials of this life. Download a free copy of Stand here.