Godly Products of Suffering
A Christian's happiness is not as important as being in God's will, and following Christ is the key to enduring affliction.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that the trials faced by Paul provide both negative and positive blessings, teaching us to endure affliction by connecting with others' experiences. He argues that happiness is not essential for Christians and that prolonged happiness can weaken spiritual resilience. Instead of seeking to avoid troubles, believers should focus on following Christ, accepting both joy and sorrow as part of God's will. Ultimately, it is not our emotional state that matters, but our alignment with God's purpose in our lives.
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But Paul's trials yield for us more than this negative kind of blessing. They also teach us positive lessons to help us to endure affliction by that well-known psychological law by which we are able to identify ourselves with others and "halve our griefs while we double our joys." It is always easier to bear what we know someone has borne successfully before us.
From the trials and triumphs of Paul, we gather, too, that happiness is really not indispensable to a Christian. There are many ills worse than heartaches. It is scarcely too much to say that prolonged happiness may actually weaken us, especially if we insist upon being happy as the Jews insisted upon flesh in the wilderness. In so doing, we may try to avoid those spiritual responsibilities which would in the nature of them bring a certain measure of heaviness and affliction to the soul.
The best thing is neither to seek nor seek to avoid troubles but to follow Christ and take the bitter with the sweet as it may come. Whether we are happy or unhappy at any given time is not important. That we be in the will of God is all that matters. We may safely leave with Him the incident of heartache or happiness. He will know how much we need of either or both.
Sermon Outline
- The Positive Lessons of Paul's Trials points: - Identifying with others to halve our griefs - Doubling our joys through shared experiences
- The Unimportance of Happiness to a Christian points: - Happiness is not indispensable to a Christian life - Prolonged happiness may weaken us
- Following Christ in the Midst of Trouble points: - Seek neither happiness nor trouble - Follow Christ and take the bitter with the sweet
Key Quotes
“It is always easier to bear what we know someone has borne successfully before us.” — A.W. Tozer
“Happiness is really not indispensable to a Christian.” — A.W. Tozer
“We may safely leave with Him the incident of heartache or happiness.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should follow Christ and take the bitter with the sweet, rather than seeking happiness or trying to avoid trouble.
- Being in the will of God is more important than our current circumstances of happiness or heartache.
- We can learn to identify with others and double our joys through shared experiences of suffering.