What Is Redemptive Suffering?

[What Is Redemptive Suffering?]( Current Teaching Series [Where is God When It Hurts?]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [What Is Redemptive Suffering?]( By Rick Warren — 03/20/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT) One of the purposes of your life is to serve others. And God can use your pain to help you serve more effectively—by making you more sensitive to other people’s pain. Pain makes you more empathetic to those who are experiencing the same kind of pain you’re in. Rather than focusing on your own pain, you can choose to redirect your focus to helping others in pain. Jesus wants to redeem your suffering. Redemptive suffering is when you use the pain you’re going through to help other people. This is what my wife Kay and I have tried do with the pain we feel from losing our son through suicide. In the years since Matthew’s death, not a week has gone by without someone—a friend or stranger, well-known or unknown, old or young—calling Kay or me and asking for help, because they know we’ve been through it and we’re willing to share God’s comfort with them. The Bible says, “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:4-6 NLT). Who is better qualified to minister to a parent grieving the loss of a child than another parent who has experienced such grief? Who is better qualified to help someone with an addiction than someone who has also battled an addiction? Who is better qualified to walk with someone through a cancer diagnosis than someone who has fought their own cancer? Whatever pain you are suffering right now, God wants to use it to help others if you’ll surrender it to him. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What pain have you experienced that you believe God wants you to use to serve others? - In what ways has suffering taught you patient endurance? If that has not been your experience, you can ask God to show you how to “patiently endure” (2 Corinthians 1:6) in whatever pain you are suffering right now. - Ask God to show you someone who is suffering with a pain similar to yours. Then ask him to show you how to walk alongside them and offer his comfort. Will you follow Jesus today? God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB). Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, pray this simple prayer: "Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen." If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [What Is Redemptive Suffering?]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Unshakable Study Kit when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( When you’re grounded in God’s Word, you can strand strong, no matter what hits you. Learn how with Pastor Rick’s 8-lesson DVD and workbook study, Unshakable. This inspiring study explores the life of Daniel in the Old Testament to show how he leaned on God through turbulent times in a hostile culture, and how you can too! Perfect for a small group or individual study, Unshakable shows you how to: • Handle life’s unexpected circumstances and extreme pressures • Avoid compromising on what you know is right in God’s eyes • Manage success • Learn from your mistakes • Pray the kinds of prayers that God answers [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 3 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series Where is God When It Hurts? [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: How God Can Use My Pain for My Good Message 2: How Can I Benefit from My Pain? Message 3: Using Your Pain to Help Others [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. 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