JESUS SUFFERED FOR YOU.  HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO SUFFERING?

Soldiers jammed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and mocked Him as "King".  Are we guilty of  "crowning Christ with thorns", when we reject the suffering that comes into our lives?

picture courtesy images.google.com

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

¹⁶The soldiers took him into their headquarters and called out the entire battalion. ¹⁷They dressed him in a purple robe and made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head. ¹⁸Then they saluted, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!" ¹⁹And they beat him on the head with a stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. ²⁰When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

⁷even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. ⁸Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. ¹⁰Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We can only begin to imagine what incredible pain our Savior experienced when the crown of thorns was mercilessly beaten into His head by the Roman soldiers. 

The amazing truth is that even though Jesus had the power to stop this pain, He didn't.  Our suffering Savior let it continue, because this was part of His journey to the Cross where He would give His life to provide forgiveness for our sins.

Paul experienced and wrote about his "thorn in the flesh".  It may have been malaria, epilepsy, or probably a disease of the eyes.  (Galatians 4:13-15)  This "thorn" was severe enough that it affected his life and how He served God.  Though God did not answer Paul's prayer to remove this "thorn", He used it to demonstrate His Kingdom power in his ministry.  God used a "thorn" of suffering to keep Paul humble and depending on His Spirit.

WHAT IS A "THORN" OF SUFFERING THAT GOD MAY BE USING TO HELP YOU MATURE IN HUMILITY AND DEPENDENCE ON HIM?

It might be a physical sickness or inability.  Maybe you have some emotional scars that never seem to heal.  Perhaps you're facing a very difficult circumstance or you're experiencing a relationship that is hurting you.  God can and will use life's "thorns" of pain to bring Godliness to our character.  His strength provides joy to our soul even in suffering.

If we allow the truth of Christ's death and resurrection to be real in our lives, we will have a willingness for God to make us holy rather than than happy.   It's more important to be Christ-like than comfortable.

• Pray for God's Spirit to help you accept a "thorn" of Godliness into your life so that you might become more like Jesus.
• In your journal, write down whatever seems to be a "thorn" in your life.  Over the next few weeks, write down ways that God is using it to teach you to be more like Christ.
• Ask an older Christian friend to share with you what he or she has learned about the "thorns" of suffering in his or her lifetime.
• Share what you learned today with another student or family member or friend who is going through pain.  Remember to be sensitive and focus on listening so that you can offer encouragment and hope, not a teaching lesson.
• If you take communion in a service this weekend, remember to focus on the suffering that Jesus endured for you.

Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG.  Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college.  He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.