God uses suffering to regenerate and restore, not to punish
Genesis 3:17-19 God uses suffering to regenerate and restore, not to punish
Suffering purifies the heart and separates the superficial from the substantial.
The apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers against building the church on superficiality. Some churchgoers are of the “gold, silver, precious stones” category, while others exhibit qualities of “wood, hay, straw” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Churchgoers belonging to the former category endure the test of fire and suffering, while the latter do not. The fire of suffering test the authenticity of each man’s faith to reveal the underlying material.
Many churches in a bid to shore up membership predominantly preach the superficial messages of blessings and salvation. They rarely talk about truths for living and the sufferings of Christ that leads to perfection and glory. As a result, most of them having been promised irrevocable salvation with the prospect of becoming rich are in church.
Churchgoers who are of wood, hay and straw will be disappointed with God and many will leave the faith as their motives are impure and superficial. Paul continues, “If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15). However, those that are of the category of gold will be further refined in their character with their hearts purified in the process. The result is a person of a higher stature, better equipped to impact the world for good.
Note: Text extracted from http://thesolidfood.org/…/