No Pain, No Gain
NO PAIN, NO GAIN! You have probably heard the phrase before. It may bring to mind a Marine Corps drill sergeant shouting at a recruit on the obstacle course, a football coach pushing the team through strenuous pre-season workouts, or even that overly cheerful spin class instructor who somehow finds burning calories fun. It’s a tough phrase, but there is some truth to it in life as well.
Have you ever been through a difficult season of life that seemed like you were getting hit over and over again. Sometimes it's things that are close to home like the loss of a loved one or a sudden sickness. Maybe you get laid off from your job or the plans you had for your life simply don’t go the way you wanted them to.
I remember the difficulty of walking through the loss of my dad and, within the year, walking through the same thing when my wife’s dad died. Sometimes they are on a bigger scale, such as a pandemic shutting down the world, gripping you with uncertainty. In my lifetime, I have lost count of how many recessions we have had, and global war always seems to be a threat to society. Does the whole “no pain, no gain” thing still apply to all of this? While that may not be entirely true, the truth is that our pain doesn’t have to be wasted.
There is a very interesting passage of Scripture where Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested. This was not a random event. Jesus deliberately followed the Spirit into a place of intense hardship and trial.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. – Matthew 4:1-11 NLT
What makes this passage even more interesting is that it comes right after, what would be considered by most, a highlight in Jesus’ life, His baptism. In this scripture, we see a few things.
We are not in control. Sometimes we follow the Holy Spirit into a testing season of life and sometimes we walk through pain because we live in a fallen world.
The Bible teaches us that God never leaves us or forsakes us. That is especially important for us to remember in times of hardship. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and we too should take Him with us in every step and season of our lives. The Holy Spirit is our comfort and guide; and if we allow Him, He will do the heavy lifting in our lives.
Immediately following this encounter in the wilderness, Jesus begins His public earthly ministry. Throughout His time on earth, there is that same constant that He showed us in the wilderness, following and depending on the Holy Spirit. He showed us that in His most trying time and weakest moment, it was the Holy Spirit that leads Him through it and leaves Him with a greater understanding of that Truth.
Wisdom teaches us that we can often gain without pain; but in times of great suffering, we are certain to grow. Through the Holy Spirit, nothing is wasted.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28 NLT
Have you ever been through a difficult season of life that seemed like you were getting hit over and over again. Sometimes it's things that are close to home like the loss of a loved one or a sudden sickness. Maybe you get laid off from your job or the plans you had for your life simply don’t go the way you wanted them to.
I remember the difficulty of walking through the loss of my dad and, within the year, walking through the same thing when my wife’s dad died. Sometimes they are on a bigger scale, such as a pandemic shutting down the world, gripping you with uncertainty. In my lifetime, I have lost count of how many recessions we have had, and global war always seems to be a threat to society. Does the whole “no pain, no gain” thing still apply to all of this? While that may not be entirely true, the truth is that our pain doesn’t have to be wasted.
There is a very interesting passage of Scripture where Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested. This was not a random event. Jesus deliberately followed the Spirit into a place of intense hardship and trial.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. – Matthew 4:1-11 NLT
What makes this passage even more interesting is that it comes right after, what would be considered by most, a highlight in Jesus’ life, His baptism. In this scripture, we see a few things.
- Difficult and painful seasons are a part of life and can come at any moment.
We are not in control. Sometimes we follow the Holy Spirit into a testing season of life and sometimes we walk through pain because we live in a fallen world.
- Jesus models how to walk through painful times.
The Bible teaches us that God never leaves us or forsakes us. That is especially important for us to remember in times of hardship. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and we too should take Him with us in every step and season of our lives. The Holy Spirit is our comfort and guide; and if we allow Him, He will do the heavy lifting in our lives.
- Nothing is wasted with God.
Immediately following this encounter in the wilderness, Jesus begins His public earthly ministry. Throughout His time on earth, there is that same constant that He showed us in the wilderness, following and depending on the Holy Spirit. He showed us that in His most trying time and weakest moment, it was the Holy Spirit that leads Him through it and leaves Him with a greater understanding of that Truth.
Wisdom teaches us that we can often gain without pain; but in times of great suffering, we are certain to grow. Through the Holy Spirit, nothing is wasted.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28 NLT
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1 Comment
Selah. Pause and calmly think on this. It will all work together for our good and God’s Glory.