I am currently taking a class called The Problem of Evil and Suffering. Although the content is extremely intimidating and at times very hard to wrap my mind around, I have seen that the harder I pursue challenging issues, the more clear the cross becomes.
Christ’s blood was shed for any type of suffering a person could endure. In Hebrews, it talks about how we have a high priest who has been tempted in every way, yet without sin, and because of that, we can boldly approach the throne of grace. We can boldly stare suffering in the face and know Christ has experienced ultimate suffering, in that God turned his face from him. Therefore he can sympathize with our pain, and not only that, but because of the cross, that pain is either redeemed or it is crucified.
Today my professor shared that the only way to not be afraid of death is to die. This shed new light on what it means to die to self. I want to develop habits of the mind and in life that keep me ill attuned to the world. I want to be so dead to things of the flesh that when sufferings come about, I clearly see the cross; which therefore promises that the pain of what I am going through is nothing compared to the Spirit of God which is alive in me.
Here is a piece of work from Jonathan Edwards reflecting God’s end in creation. This has been helpful to see the broader picture of creation, and be reminded of God’s complete love and power over all things.
448. END OF THE CREATION.
“ God is glorified within himself these two ways: (1) by appearing or being manifested to himself in his own perfect idea, or, in his Son, who is the brightness of his glory; (2) by enjoying and delighting in himself, by flowing forth in infinite love and delight towards himself, or, in his Holy Spirit.
So God glorifies himself towards the creatures also two ways: (1) by appearing to them, being manifested to their understandings; (2) in communicating himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in, and enjoying the manifestations which he makes of himself. They both of them may be called his glory in the more extensive sense of the word, viz. his shining forth, or the going forth of his excellency, beauty and essential glory ad extra. By one way it goes forth towards their understandings; by the other it goes forth towards their wills or hearts. God is glorified not only by his glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in, when those that see it delight in it: God is more glorified than if they only see it; his glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that he might communicate, and the creature receive, his glory, but that it might [be] received both by the mind and heart.”
