February 2nd, 2025

1.) Can you share a time when you experienced suffering and, looking back, you can see how God used it to increase your dependence on Him? How did it shape your faith?

2.) How has your own experience with suffering helped you grow in compassion and care for others who are hurting? What are some practical ways we can support those who are suffering in our church or community?

3.) In what ways does suffering help shift our focus from temporary things to eternal realities? Are there things in your life that suffering has helped you realize are less important than you once thought?

4.) How can sharing about our suffering and how God has worked through it encourage and build up the faith of others? Have you ever been encouraged by someone else’s testimony of suffering well?

5.) How have you seen God use suffering—whether your own or someone else’s—to advance the gospel to unbelievers? Why do you think suffering often opens doors for gospel conversations?

6.) What difference does it make to know that, as followers of Christ, our suffering is temporary? How does the hope of Christ’s return and the promise that He will make all things right give you strength to endure today’s trials?