This year, despite giving tender loving care to my prized Cymbidiums, they just did not bloom as vigorously as they have in past years. I watered them carefully, fed them weekly, and verified the lighting conditions. But still, there was a lot of new growth, but very few flowers. Members of my orchid club were experiencing the same. It turns out that when we went back and checked the night temperatures between August and October, we found there were not enough successive cool nights to initiate flower spikes. Without a fall cool-down, Cymbidium orchids will produce plenty of new growth but will usually fail to bloom. The plants need to endure the hardship of a cold fall to trigger flowering.

Pastor Ben recently preached from Colossians 1, about “Faith and Suffering,” emphasizing that suffering should not come as a surprise and that there is purpose in our hardships. He taught that the gospel view of hardship is productive for the Christian life.  God uses hardship intentionally to transform us to be more like Christ. When Paul, then Saul, was blinded by God, the Lord told Ananias to go and lay hands on him. The Lord was about to use Saul mightily and told Ananias, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15-16). 

Paul did in fact suffer far more than most men for the sake of Jesus’ name. He also learned to endure those hardships. He was whipped, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, imprisoned, persecuted, and in constant danger. Paul was a suffering preacher and was called to correct some false teaching that was creeping into the church in Colossae. In his first letter to the Colossians, Paul starts by commending them saying,

From the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy… (Colossians 1:9-11)

But Paul struggled with sharing the message that was given him from God for the Colossians to clarify how the church is called to suffer for, and remain rooted in, Christ. He warned against the philosophy and empty deceit being spread by false teachers in the church in Colossae. Paul wrote,

I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:25-29)

This hidden mystery was the revelation that the Gentiles would unite the Jews through Christ in salvation.

John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, was once quoted saying, “It is said that in some countries trees will grow, but will bear no fruit because there is no winter there.”  He was making reference to spiritual fruit.  Men will not develop to full spiritual maturity without the necessary adversity sent by their good Father.  There is even joy in the adversity because of what God produces through it. Paul later wrote to the Roman Christians,

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

The remainder of Paul’s letter to the Colossians is a summary of how we might best set our minds on things above, how to act kindly and to have thankfulness in our hearts toward God for all things.  Paul does not dwell on his own suffering, but ends his letter humbly with the words, “Remember my chains. Grace be with you” (Colossians 4:18). May we all remember Paul’s chains and commit to spiritual growth from our own adversities.