Coming to you live from the Joshua Wilderness Institute, its this weeks Blog Crew! Starring the room 201, featuring Jumping Jill, Bouncing Bethany and Shining Shiloh! Also co-hosting is the room of 102, featuring Jubilant Jeremiah and Jamming Josh!
During our classes, we have been utilizing the tools given to understand the theology of suffering. We started learning the deeper understanding theology and how it affects our daily walk, which coincided with the concepts of suffering brought on by our speaker Shea Sumlin. Our first two days focused on James 1, and how the test of our faith produces righteousness, while the last two days we focused on our hope in Christ, focusing on the hope that we have through God giving us his Son, so that we may we be saved, redeemed and sustained thorough our suffering.
Personal Thoughts
Bethany B.- This week really gave me a new perspective about my own theology about suffering. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me is because God made the hardest sacrifice by sending his son to die for us, he will never just leave us hanging through the trials we face, but wants to carry us through our suffering. Because He has saved us, we have been redeemed through our suffering; and with knowing that we can have hope that He will sustain us through it all until we are with Him in heaven some day.
Jill- This week has been great! I really feel blessed for being able to be poured into by so many amazing teachers and Shea was an awesome speaker. The new perspectives we were exposed to were eye opening.
Jeremiah- Suffering is such an unavoidable aspect of life. I think it was healthy for me to realize that. And what was more important was that despite any suffering that I may go through, that it is not a punishment. I have not been removed from God’s grace, that I am chosen by him, to be loved, and to be with him. Absolutely nothing can prevent me from feeling his love.
Josh Runge-
An encouraging verse I found this week with Shea’s teaching was James 1:12,
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test He will receive the Crown of Life that God has promised for those who love him.”
as Shea was teaching the first night he talked about our trials, and one thing he said that stuck out to me was “what if our trials never end?” what if that were true! life would suck. But then He asked a question about why we have hope in our trials, “is our hope for better circumstances? for our trials to end? Or is our hope to delight in Christ in all circumstances? even in the midst of suffering?” So as we experience suffering or trials are we just waiting for them to end? or are we finding peace in the hope we have in Christ? Our salvation.
