Let me start with a question, “What do you live for?” What is the calling, the initiator, the motivation of your life? Check out this passage from 1 Peter.

1 Peter 4:1-2
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

As noted yesterday, the phrase “has ceased from sin” does not mean the believer will live without sin. The phrase means that identifying with Christ in suffering is a clear sign that we have made a break from the sinful life. As a visible result, we do not live to follow our “human passions but for the will of God.”

Suffering has a way of refining the soul. It strips away all the things we think are important and forces us to hold on to all the things that truly are. Tough times allow us to hear the voice of God more clearly and, thus, follow him more closely. C. S. Lewis well says that pain is God’s megaphone to a deaf world!

Pain is never invited. Valleys are not something we look forward to. And yet, they provide the growth spurts of the Christian life.  Suffering is never welcomed, but it is never a waste of our time.

Lord, help me to be a learner every day, not just in times of suffering. When hard times come, help me depend on you for strength, and thank you for the growth I will experience in the valleys. In Jesus’ name. Amen.