What is the Purpose of the Thorns? Perseverance

I Peter 5:10; Romans 5:3-5

If being a Christian doesn’t get us a “hall pass”, or a “get out of jail free card” when it comes to suffering, what is the purpose? Why does God allow our suffering? While God does not cause our suffering, he always redeems our suffering, if we allow him to. Through our suffering he refines our faith. In Romans 5:3-5 Paul teaches that suffering produces perseverance which produces character which produces hope. Perseverance or endurance, is the ability to get through the difficulties in this world, the ability to face the challenges that we know will come in the future.  This perseverance then leads to character. Biblical character is our likeness to Christ.  The evidence of this character is the fruits of the spirit in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Suffering and challenges are the refining fire that makes us more like Christ. But all of this only happens if we allow God to refine us, trust in his process and lean on him, even when we don’t understand the purpose or how any good could possibly come from our situation.

Questions for further thought:
1. When you look back on difficult times in your life, can you see God’s footprint there, ways he provided for you, brought others into your life when you needed them?
2. Have your past struggles developed endurance and character in your life or have they developed bitterness and distance from God?

​Challenge:  Look back at 1-2 difficult struggles in your past, did you allow God to use those difficult times to refine your faith and character or did you resist and allow bitterness to take over?