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Over the course of any given week, you don’t have to look far to find examples of suffering. At present, I’m friends with people who are experiencing suffering in areas of physical health, mental health, relationships, and finances. When I read or watch the news, I encounter stories of natural disasters, wars, acts of terrorism, and other forms of difficulty on a national and global scale. While there is much that is beautiful on this planet, we’re also surrounded by suffering and we never really know when a particularly difficult season of suffering may emerge in our own lives.

When I was just emerging as an adult, this was a concept I really struggled with. To be more specific, I guess I should say that I didn’t necessarily struggle with why suffering existed in this world in a general way, but I often struggled with the concept of suffering in my own life. I wondered why God would allow me to suffer when I was doing my best to trust Him, follow Him, and obey Him. I now have a better understanding of why that is the case and I’ll elaborate on that shortly.

That being said, many people in this world would probably admit that they wrestle with the presence or concept of suffering. It can be hard for them to consider God “good” when they’re wrestling with the fact that He’s clearly allowing people to suffer in all kinds of ways.

So what is the answer to this question? If God is good, why is there so much suffering in this world?

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Please visit https://www.biblestudyheadquarters.com/ for more tools and resources to help you grow in faith.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

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There are many people on this planet who don't believe God is real, and if they do believe in the concept of a god, their beliefs certainly don't align with what the Bible teaches.

What do you think about this subject? Is God real, and if so, how can we know for sure?

I believe there are several ways to approach this question, each of which convince me that God is indeed real.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

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I believe the love of God should be the motivation for what we do with the brief life we have in this world. Love is the greatest source of motivation. Love is a greater motivation than obligation. Many believers treat their relationship with Christ as one of obligation more so than love, but I believe that as we mature in knowing Him, our love for Him deepens and becomes a greater source of motivation than obligation.

a. Why do we serve others? Because we love Jesus who loved us first.
b. Why do we speak His gospel? Because we love Jesus who loved us first.
c. Why do we care for and honor our families? Because we love Jesus who loved us first. d. Why do we work with integrity? Because we love Jesus who loved us first.
e. Why do we maintain hope in this world? Because we love Jesus who loved us first.
f. Why do we suffer for the name of Christ? Because we love Jesus who loved us first.
g. Why are we joyfully sacrificial? Because we love Jesus who loved us first.

Jesus loves His church. We are His body, and He prayed that we would believe in Him, live in unity, see His glory, and that the love of God would be within us.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

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We're called to be people who hold nothing back from God. We're challenged not to adopt this world's mindset and values as our own. We're taught to begin appreciating who we are in Christ, and we're encouraged to use what God gives us to bless others. A life that's lived in such a way is a life that won't be wasted.

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Please visit https://www.biblestudyheadquarters.com/ for more tools and resources to help you grow in faith.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

.

The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Please visit https://www.biblestudyheadquarters.com/ for more tools and resources to help you grow in faith.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

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Nearly every day we live, we will experience moments that test our patience, people who let us down, and situations that are outside of our control that might provoke us to anger. But as believers in Christ, we don't need to give in to the provocations of this world. The Spirit of God is transforming our thinking and He is enabling us to approach each day with a new mindset, a mindset of grace.

In Colossians 3:12-17, Paul explains what this new mindset looks like when it's being lived out. It's a mindset or an attitude of worship that we're called to apply to every aspect of our lives.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

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The closing verses of Mark’s gospel provide an interesting summary of events that seem like a synthesis of events that are referenced in the other gospel accounts. The reason that may seem to be the case is that’s precisely what these verses are. In fact, it’s widely believed that these closing verses weren’t actually penned by Mark, but were added sometime in the second century by an unknown editor. The earliest manuscripts of Mark’s gospel do not include them, but I still think these verses offer a valuable postscript on the earthly ministry of Jesus as well as an encouragement to us to faithfully follow Him.

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I don’t know if you’re struggling to have hope right now. I don’t know if there’s something provoking a sense of fear in your heart. But I do know this. Jesus lived the perfect life on your behalf, then He atoned for your sin through His suffering and death. Then, just as He promised He would, He rose from death and completely defeated its power. For those who are in Christ, death has lost its sting. In the most literal sense, all it means for us is a transition from our earthly sojourn to living in the presence of the Lord forever.

Don’t let unhealthy fear grip your heart, and don’t lose hope. Jesus came through for the original disciples, and just as He promised, He will come through for you too.

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Please visit https://www.biblestudyheadquarters.com/ for more tools and resources to help you grow in faith.

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If you enjoy the show and want to buy John a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnstange

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The "Desire Jesus One Year Devotional" can be found here: https://amzn.to/41v1DKh

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To email John Stange directly, please send your message to biblestudyheadquarters@gmail.com.

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.