The attractiveness of suffering

Paul reminds Timothy to “kindle afresh”, or “stir up”, the gift of God, i.e. the Holy Spirit, that is within him[1]. The immediate question, then, is how does one go about stirring up a Deity, and why does this need to be done?

For reasons of need, one could look no further than the next verse. ‘God has not given us a spirit of timidity’, but altogether too often, we adopt one. We’re either afraid of man, afraid of success, or afraid of extricating ourselves from the stupor of complacence.

So, stir up the Spirit…because without Him, our vision clouds and dissipates, and our task – that which bridges the gap between our spiritual vision and our flesh-and-blood realm – becomes meaningless drudgery.

But how? I would posit to you that suffering – being “pressed until every pressable thing is pressed out”[2] – is one of the most effective ways to “stir up” the Spirit. Why? Because one who “suffers according to the will of God”[3] must cleave to Him, and only Him, and in so doing “entrust their soul to a faithful Creator.” This, almost by default, will cause the Spirit of power, love, and discipline to rise up in us.

One speaker last weekend observed that the next few years (until the imminent end of the age, no doubt) will be years of suffering, and the sooner we learn how to deal with it, the better off we’ll be. And as I found myself being inspired about stirring up the Spirit, and the need to have a vision and a task, the Spirit kept asking me Sunday night, “Are you really willing to suffer?”

Are you willing to suffer? As for me and my house, the “momentary, light afflictions”[4] of this present age are a small price to pay that we may “share the sufferings of Christ” and “rejoice with exultation at the revelation of His glory.”[5]

[1] II Timothy 1:6
[2] F. W. Sandford – The Path of Character
[3] I Peter 4:19
[4] II Corinthians 4:17
[5] I Peter 4:13