Book Review – Don’t Waste Your Sorrows by Angelique Watkins
Paul E. Billheimer book shares on “Finding God’s Purposes in the midst of Pain – no pain, no gain.” This book shares hope to those in pain – it’s all part of the training.
After the fall, and the promise of redemption, the Messiah was sent to earth for one purpose: to give birth to His church, the bride of Christ.
Suffering is considered another aspect of our training. Suffering produces in us character and a proper disposition – a compassionate spirit. Being born again launches us into a kind of apprenticeship in training for rulership. True agape love (God’s perfect love) is developed in the school of tribulation, trial, or suffering.
God makes us pure through the sacrifice of His Son, trials and testings make us mature.
Suffering is not an accident, but a gift to be valued, for when properly received it works to enhance our eternal rank and honour.
Trouble, therefore, comes to us all, whether saint or sinner.
There are three Greek words that are translated “love”
eros – the love between the sexes
philos – the love of friendship and family
agape – the love that characterizes God himself
God’s love embraces good and evil personalities alike, pouring out sunshine and rain equally upon the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45).
In the context of Christ’s healing ministry, Matthew translates this: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases” (Matthew 8:17).
Verse 6 of Isaiah 53 states: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
All that God permits to remain is only for our training purposes.
Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope.
The history of Israel: In prosperity, she forsook pure Jehovah worship for idolatry. Only by chastisement was she constrained to repent and return to Jehovah.
Because God is the all-seeing One, satan cannot “slip up on His blind side.” He is never taken by surprise.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fatham all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (I Corinthians 13:1-2).
All affliction is intended to drive us to God.
When God makes a saint, He uses the sharpest knives on His turning lathe as well. He cannot shape one without pain, but He never uses needless pain.
Everything that is permitted to come to any member of the bride has been thoroughly thought out. When sorrow or suffering come, one may know that it is not accidental or uncontrolled.
When He laid down His life on Calvary, it was not for angels or archangels, cherubim or seraphim, or for any of the other inhabitants of the unseen world, but for human beings made in His own image, who will constitute His bride.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
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