Paul's prayer for the church was that the Lord would direct their hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance(vs 5). Love and perseverance (knowing how to suffer), one of these is not like the other. We like one and we avoid the other, or at least the suffering part, and we should. We should want to grow in love, and we shouldn't put ourselves needlessly in places where we suffer, but suffering is part of life. The key is, as Peter taught, that we shouldn't suffer for doing wrong (1 Peter 4:15). We need help when suffering, and God will help us, but suffering causes pain even if we can persevere.
Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash
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