"Suffering in The Midst of Plenty”

YOUTH SUNDAY 

By: Bro. Peters Owolabi 

Bible Verse: 1 Peter 4:12-19 

• Why would the son of a meat seller eat bones? 
• Why would the son of a cloth seller wear rags? 
• Is it possible for an ant to struggle to taste sugar while inside a sugar pack? 


I’m sure you said its not possible. Why then are humans suffering in the midst of plenty all over the world especially in Nigeria? 
Despite all the numerous natural gifts of God in this nation, why do we still struggle to make ends meet? 

Why do we have to suffer to get things done? The answer is simple – it is due to our lack of love for humanity. Humans hate humans. 

Love is lost. Love can only be found in frivolities, pride, anger, intimidation, inconsideration, self-centredness, gossips, slander, defamation of characters, envy and so other inhumane characters. 
We hate ourselves so much that we don't consider others in our thinking. 
Our political system has failed us so much because it’s in the hand of those that do not have us in their minds. They keep deceiving us because we allow them to. We are regressing instead of us to be progressing. 

All sectors are nowhere near standard. We live in perilous times because nothing can be conquered outside of love. We must love ourselves if we are to overcome our common enemy else, we continue to suffer in the midst of soooo much. 
Here comes the good news – I Peter 4:14 “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

This brings us to the next set of questions: 
• What are you suffering for? 
• For whom are you suffering? 
• To what end is your suffering? 

To be candid, suffering is part of life and if I must say – a necessity if you are to attain greater heights. 
The truth is that all of us are suffering even if we don’t want to agree that we are. What we suffer from differs from one another. “We demonstrate the power of Christ by enduring hardship.” - Bryan Wilkerson. 

And I say – “We demonstrate the power of Christ by sharing love even in our own suffering.” 
I Peter 12:15 – “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.” 
Whilst we suffer in the midst of plenty, let us check our lives to be sure our suffering is not as a result of our ignorance, indolence, lack of goodwill, idolatry, perverted thoughts, awful acts etc. 
May God bless and protect us all in these trying times. Amen!