I’ve met a lot of people who identify as Christian. Interestingly, the most Christian people I’ve met do not, tho they believe, and don’t feel worthy of such a title.  

I’ll never be a Job. I’m more of the thief or tax assessor. I know who and what I am. I know my faith is insufficient. I think most people should start there than aspiring to Job. 

 Our Lord and Savior on the Cross represents the ultimate culmination of human suffering, yet we rejoice in him, we hold that image of ultimate suffering central to our worship. Clearly an example to follow; “we rejoice in our sufferings.” 

 https://youtu.be/qyUPz6_TciY?si=U7BwxJ-sqQBQmJNd 

 A fantastic Piper sermon. 🤝 

 Sovereignty is a tough nut to crack. I’m not even sure our minds can get a handle on this one. 

 Sovereignty provides for an escapism of sorts. God gets let off the hook, because, well He is God. 

 God was proud of him, making fun of Satan, even.
Hard to match. 

 Good stuff!   One of my biggest ah ha moments in my faith was when I realized it was God who initiated the sequence of events when he asked Satan “Have you noticed my servant Job”

God has a redemptive plan for all His creation and it’s my role to praise Him whether I perceive it to be good times or bad times. 

 How do you balance this with Psalms of lament? Indeed, Paul says we rejoice in our sufferings, but even Jesus prayed in the garden for the path to change and cried out in despair on the cross 

 To balance, suffering sucks for everyone, including Job, David, Paul, and Jesus. 

But we are called to trust, worship, and fellowship with God through the suffering… not move away from—or be angry with—Him. 

 Agreed. Afflictions are a source of trial for all of us. The Prophets were all subjected to suffering (often by their own communities). 

“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones.” (Qur’an 2:155)
 

 This is most certainly true. 

The lack of desiring to follow Jesus through suffering comes from the prevalence of moralistic therapeutic deism, especially in the North American Church. 

Great article on that here: https://www.1517.org/articles/moralistic-therapeutic-deism 

 It’s easier when you not only believe but internalize that this earthly life  is such a short and relatively miserable portion of our existence. Being counted as worthy through suffering in His name, or being released from that suffering through death, are rewards beyond our imagination. 

 To be clear, this is not a state of mind that I have reached permanently, but one that I visit from time to time, and in which I aspire to more permanent residence. 

 So you came here through no choice of yours to live a miserable and suffering life so that you can be rewarded when you die. 
🤔
😊 

 No.

I came here through no choice of my own. Check.

I will encounter suffering. Check. 

Whether I am miserable is largely up to me. I can choose to try to develop a state of mind where I understand the “why” of suffering, and develop a belief and philosophy that allow me to compartmentalize it and experience joy separately from it.  This allows a great deal more than just “life sucks and then you die”. 

 Thanks for sharing your thoughts 

 Amen brother!