Day 286..."Suffering and returning to God...Bad figs...celebrating marriage or singleness"

Suffering is a complex topic to explain. I am preaching on this Sunday and there are many reasons we suffer. Does God bring suffering? There be one instance in today's reading. Misery brings people back to the Lord..."I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me." Suffering is a complex subject. In Jeremiah there is the image of "two baskets of figs." Faithfulness produces good fruit and unfaithfulness rotten fruit. Jesus teaches with the same metaphor in the Sermon on the Mount.
Paul teaches about marriage, singleness, and ministry in today's reading. This chapter seems to create flexibility for doing whatever is best in your circumstances to glorify God whether married or single. One passage stands out about the controversies of the day..."For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God." Honoring God with our lives is what is most important. The Commandments keep us on track and are a source of freedom.