Joy in Suffering

Day 282: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, 2:1-8

“So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:6 NLT

Biblical joy can exist, and often deepens, alongside any suffering.

Imagine Paul cringing as he sees these new disciples encountering resistance almost immediately from persecutors in Thessalonica. Maybe he initially thought, “I hope they survive this!” or “God, could you have given them a little more protection at the beginning?”

No, Paul uses the word rescue (in verse 10) as he describes what God has done for the Thessalonian Christians.

I wonder how much joy we are missing out on each day because our perspective is off. Some of us view resistance as a sign that we are doing something wrong. What if we decided to see suffering as an invitation to a more secure form of joy?

It is hard to rob someone of joy who has already dismissed the idea of it being a generated emotion.

If we go back up to verse 3, we see how they made it through these trials:  “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV

Faith, hope, and love in Jesus are the only ways we will stay consistent in this work we are called to as Christians (see 1 Corinthians 13:13).