Suffering

The Divine life in Paul the apostle grew with intense speed. He always carried about with him the dying of our Lord Jesus. He did not fear suffering; and it is precisely suffering that brings us closer to God more than anything else. We shrink from suffering, but that is the way we shrink from growth. The storms must come, and we must suffer if we are to know God. If we had more suffering, our theories would completely break down and we should have more wisdom of life. “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit” and with fire; and we shrink from that fire. We need power to suffer—to lay down our lives for our friends. We cry for power for one thing and another, and God says ‘‘Are you willing to suffer?”

All who have done anything for God have suffered, and if you have not gone through the fire, you are full of theories. These make you puffed up and cause division, separating us from God. We need more suffering, and all our presumed knowledge put into the fire to be tested so that we will remain standing.

Some believe that the Lord leads us away from our enemies, but He does not; He leads us to our enemies, that we may defeat them.