Bible Verses
“But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” – 1 Peter 4:13
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” – Psalms 147:3-5
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” – 1 Peter 4:12
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” – Romans 8:18
Christian Bible Lesson Overview
All of us will endure pain and suffering during our lifetime. Some of that pain is caused by outside factors and other pain is a direct result of our own actions. Sometimes suffering can be a blessing if the pain teaches us that we committed evil acts. It is critical to learn from pain and suffering. Ignoring the reason behind the pain could lead to creating many more evil acts resulting in more severe pain.
It is important to recognize that the pain and suffering caused by our sinful acts are messages that can guide us to a better life.
Christian Bible Lesson for Today
George was in his final year at Harvard Graduate School. He will earn his Ph.D. next year in Austro Physics. He worked very hard all his education to become a respected scientist. He was a Christian and worked hard to support his faith.
He was gifted with the ability to study and process information. He did have a weakness. He was extremely attracted to women, especially their bodies. He had strong urges to see women’s bodies.
That urge lead George to create a hidden camera system that allowed him to view women taking a shower at the racquetball facility on campus. He felt that it was no harm to anyone. Therefore, he thought his actions were OK.
However, one of his friends was visiting him and noticed an image on George’s computer screen. The friend did not say anything but made note of what George was doing.
A week later George received an email message that expressed knowledge of the camera in the Lady’s shower room. The message stated that copies of the videos have been created and will be sent to the dean within a week unless George transferred $1,000 to a specified bank account.
George was horrified. He would lose his Harvard Degree and all his friends. His immediate thought was to transfer the money. Then he thought about the entire situation and realized that hiding his sin was not going to make him a better person. It was very difficult, but George decided to ignore the email message and face the consequences.
George was very stressed that entire week. After the week passed and he did not hear from the Dean, he thought even more about the situation. He experienced more pain from this incident than at any other time in his life. He thought about his Christian beliefs and how those beliefs affected him. He realized that the suffering he experienced that week was a gift. That pain let him know that it was not OK to do what he was doing. He understood committing sins when no one is watching is no better than any other sin.
George realized that the pain he suffered that week was a gift that told him to change his life and behave the same whether he thinks people can see him or not. He also realized that it was a blessing that the Dean was not notified.
Christian Bible Lesson Summary
Sometimes we think that if we do things that do not hurt anyone else it is OK, even if it is a sin. As we learn from many verses in the Bible, sin is not OK when no one knows about it.