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I Corinthians 12 to 14
It is fairly common to hear people having 'a good moan'. It would be easy to misjudge what Paul says.
2 Cor 11: 27 I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. NIV
When he wrote these words, Paul was not trying to plead for sympathy. On the contrary, Paul was trying to get us to see some serious points about the good news of Jesus, and to put them in a real perspective.
The morning I wrote this, I came in the house after praying in a very cold room all night. I sat there shivering in front of the fire thinking how cold and tired I was. Then I thought of this scripture and realised that I am living on "Easy Street". A voluntary night in a 24/7 prayer room is more than a little different to Paul's exposure to the elements naked.
As I write these words to you I am constrained to thank God for His goodness.
The cost of being a Christian in the UK is negligible. The price of anything is relative, but so far this word is true.
Heb 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. NIV
For Paul, he rejoiced in his sufferings (the pressures he was under) because they produced perseverance, character and hope within him (Rom 5:3-4).
A little bit of cold hasn't done my prayer life any harm, but it has made me think of the many blessings in my life. It has also touched my perspective again and helped me to apply non-Einsteinian relativity to it all. Paul was prepared to say that even if the gospel cost him his life, it was all worth it.
Measured up against the gospel, and what Jesus paid to obtain our salvation, it is all worth it!