‘As a saint of God, my
attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be
prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created
me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself,
accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of
sorrow. He was saved not from
the hour, but out of
the hour. We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we
have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade
sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest
facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and
suffering are,
and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.’
CHAMBERS
As Christians ..
we are not protected from trouble or sorrow … it is a part of life … the
difference is not in what kind of sorrow we encounter along the way, but in how
we respond to it when it comes. A
Christian’s life is supposed to be a light in a dark world. The other night I heard a young man was saying that he understood that
God was asking him to lay his life down to serve Him .. and that he would face
difficult times … that he was prepared to do what was necessary and endure
whatever came his way for the cause of Christ … That is a profound spiritual realization
for any Christian … and a clear indication that hand of God on that person.
The majority of
Christians that I have met do not have that deep understanding of life and
faith. They live their lives in hope
that nothing bad will happen … and when it does … they want out of it and pray
to that end. They pray, ‘Lord .. get me
out of this and let your rescue be the testimony of your power, grace and
mercy.’ I think the prayer more pleasing
to God would be .. ‘Lord give me the strength to endure .. not stumble in this
trial …. To accept that in the midst of the trial, the light Christ will shine
brightly through me … the more severe my circumstance … the greater the
testimony to the world as I persevere in it.’
John 16:33 ‘These things I [Jesus]
have spoken to you, that in Me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world.’
You see it? Jesus did not say that in Me you will not
have any problems .. in Me you will never be sick … no … you are going to have
problems in life .. but do you see the bigger picture?
James 1:2-3 My brethren, count
it all joy when you fall into various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
1 Peter 1:6-9 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a
little while, if need be, you have been grieved
by various trials, (7) that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,
though it is tested by fire, may be
found to praise, honor, and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ, (8) whom having not seen you love. Though now you
do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory, (9) receiving the end of your faith--the
salvation of your souls.
2 Corinthians
12:8-10
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might
depart from me. (9) And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most
gladly I will rather boast in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10)
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Do we want to be
a witness for Jesus? What if that
testimony takes the form of persevering through a great personal trial? If our life is in Jesus. If we are truly connected to the Vine. Then our strength to endure will be found in
Him. So what are we to do? Faint or stand … persevere or give up … trust
in ourselves or seek God for strength …
My encouragement
to you for today is .... that you will sincerely ask God for the strength to
endure as an opportunity to show the power of God through your life. Lift up Jesus through your trial and others
will be drawn to Him.
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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