“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.“” John 16:33 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/jhn.16.33.CSB

The world is broken. Extremely obvious to anyone with eyes to see. We pretend otherwise, working diligently to make our world as peaceful and joyful as possible. Yet, we cannot be engaged in God’s work without experiencing the world’s suffering. We must run toward the fire and not away from it as children of God. God so loved the world that He sent His Son. God desires no one to perish, so He came and gave His life as punishment for the sins of all humanity who will humble themselves before God and follow Him. People suffer, so we must bring the healing balm of the gospel to their lives. People detest God, so they will cause us to suffer for speaking of His will and His ways that require men to repent and obey the gospel. Knowing that suffering will occur, God calls His people to courage. We are to have courage because we have hope. Jesus rose from the dead. As a result, He will raise up from the dead all of those who have loved Him and obeyed His commands. The suffering of the world and our suffering for also living in this world will be overcome by Him, Who rose from the dead, promising new life to come in a new world where peace and joy will be the norm for everyone forever. Everyone who lives courageously now while working to alleviate the eternal suffering to come for all those who reject Jesus as Savior.