{"id":207,"date":"2005-12-24T16:58:00","date_gmt":"2005-12-24T23:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/?p=207"},"modified":"2005-12-24T16:58:00","modified_gmt":"2005-12-24T23:58:00","slug":"how-is-affliction-a-blessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/2005\/12\/24\/how-is-affliction-a-blessing\/","title":{"rendered":"How is affliction a blessing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

GraceGems<\/a> sends out a daily email with a quotation from someone dead. This is from today. Read slowly.<\/p>\n

“Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord” (Psalm 94:12)<\/p>\n

We are all familiar with suffering. We are either now enduring, or shall at some future time endure severe afflictions. There are few of us therefore to whom the inquiry may not be interesting–how is affliction a blessing? The question may be thus answered.<\/p>\n

The chastisements which God inflicts upon His children are profitable to them–as they tend under the Divine blessing to promote piety in the heart. Chastisement forms a necessary part of that paternal discipline, by which our heavenly Father fits His children for their eternal rest in glory.<\/p>\n

1. Chastisement is useful, because it tends to convince the believer of his misery, and shows him that without Christ he cannot be happy. One great end of your affliction is answered, when you are led to commence and persevere in a faithful and earnest application to Christ, as the great Physician.<\/p>\n

2. Chastisement is useful, as it leads the believer to see and feel his exceeding sinfulness.<\/p>\n

3. Chastisement is useful, as a trial of faith. Adversity is compared to the fire, the furnace, the refining-pot or crucible, because it not only purifies–but tries; it not only consumes the dross–but ascertains the gold.<\/p>\n

4. Chastisement is useful, as it strengthens faith, by leading the believer to the promises–and especially to the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

5. Chastisement is useful, because it leads the believer to exercise entire submission to the Divine will.<\/p>\n

6. Chastisement is useful, because it leads the believer to look for complete happiness in heaven alone. Let the worst, most lingering, and most aggravated instance of suffering be presented–and the hope of heaven is still sufficient to mitigate its ills! It is well to learn to look beyond all secondary, earthly, imperfect comforts–to God, the source of good, and to that world where all tears are wiped away!<\/p>\n

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted!” Ps. 119:71<\/p>\n

(Source: James W. Alexander, “Consolation<\/a>” 1852, via GraceGems<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GraceGems sends out a daily email with a quotation from someone dead. This is from today. Read slowly. “Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord” (Psalm 94:12) We are all familiar with suffering. We are either now enduring, or shall at some future time endure severe afflictions. There are few of us therefore\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}