If you had never known physical pain in your life, how could you appreciate the nail scarred hands with which Jesus Christ will meet you?

Sometimes God allows what he hates to accomplish what he loves.

We're not the paragons of virtue that we'd all like to think we are. And so, to shatter that myth, God will use suffering to expose the stuff of which we're made.

Many good Christians are confused about complex social issues of our day, such as doctor-assisted death or medical research which uses stem cells from human embryos. They wonder, 'Why shouldn't science use discarded fetuses for research?' And if someone finds his medical condition intolerable and hopeless, 'why shouldn't he have the legal right to end his life?' Although the Bible does not address these issues in particular, it does provide guiding insights.

Now, most people who suffer realize that the Bible contains answers for their plight; they just don't know where to look.

Like art, like music, like so many other disciplines, prayer can only be appreciated when you actually spend time in it. Spending time with the Master will elevate your thinking. The more you pray, the more will be revealed. You will appreciate not only the greatness of prayer, but the greatness of God.

Suffering is arguably God's choicest tool in shaping the character of Christ in us.