“Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him”.
(John 9:3 KJV).

The above verse is quite interesting.
Many people are often judged and condemned because of their suffering by the people who should be showing them love.
Jesus Christ himself answered his disciples in the above passage that the man’s blindness was neither as a result of his sin nor that of his  parents but rather that God wanted to manifest himself through his healing. 
Jesus Christ himself said,  in Matt16:24, “… If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Some people have turned Christianity into a life of bliss without the cross.  If you are a Christian and you have a  problem,  it does not matter how big or small “you must be living in sin“, according to some.
This mentality has made so many sincere Christians to refuse to seek help when needed because they are afraid of being judged and condemned by so called fellow brethren.
If Christianity is a  bed of roses, why did Jesus Christ have to die on the cross,  why would he still tell us to carry our cross and follow him?

We are told in Luke 6, not to judge so we shall not be judged. These are the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himself.

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”. (Luke 6:37 KJV).

It is so unfortunate that the people who do the judging most of the time are those in the church who are supposed to show compassion and seek ways to help.

I was told by someone sometime ago that a member of her church asked her if she was messing around outside the church,  if not why was she going through so many problems?

Is it surprising then that the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ has not happened yet,  because if he had come before now, I don’t know how many of us would have been ready.

In Matt 7:1-5, Jesus Christ revealed the height of hypocrisy by rebuking those walking about with beam in their eyes and yet seeking to remove the mote in another’s eye.
How can you see clearly when you have a log in your own eyes, to be able to remove a tiny speck from someone else’s eye.

The whole issue here is lack of love. Where there is true and genuine love among the brethren,  these things will not be happening.

In John 16, Jesus said we would have tribulation on earth but we should not worry because he already overcame the world.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 KJV).
This is our hope and why we believe because Jesus Christ has overcome the world.  Whatever we go through on this earth is temporary.  We will surely overcome if we remain faithful and endure to the end.
Should a Christian suffer? Our great example is Jesus Christ. He came, he suffered and died for us and calls us to follow him bearing our cross.
This is not about justifying every suffering,  we are not to go out of our way looking for pain and suffering as a mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ. We are told in the book of Peter, not to suffer as evil doers.

“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.” (1 Peter 4:15 KJV).
What it means is that we should strive to live a Godly and holy life by the grace of almighty God, because without him, we can do nothing.
If suffering comes in the form of an attack or persecution from the enemy because of our faith,  God himself will fight for us because the battle is his not ours, and he will surely see us through it and grant us victory.
The attack could be in the form of sickness,  infirmities or afflictions,  natural disaster or war.

If you are going through any pain or suffering at present be comforted in the fact that our heavenly father is aware of your situation and his Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ knows and is watching over you and the power of the Holy spirit is at work in your life.
Do not fear but continue trusting in God.

May God almighty help us all to love genuinely, forgive sincerely and follow him honestly and May he deliver us from all evil in Jesus mighty name. Amen.