Monday, 7/20/15
The Apostle Paul wrote: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) If that is true, and it is, why do wemake more of a fuss about our troubles than on the promises of God? If your father is rich and has legally made you the sole heir of his entire estate, you would be sitting pretty right about now, right? Well, right before today’s text, (Rom. 8:16-17) Paul shared the truth that, as God’s children, we are heirs to all His riches along with Christ. In last Friday’s blog I shared with you a situation involving my wife and I that had clouded our spiritual vision. We began to lament our woes focusing on what we lost and not on what we still had.
Almost all of us, except for maybe one or two of you, often wonder why God permits times of trouble and hardship to come into our lives to disrupt our joy and peace in Christ. If we think more carefully about the matter it really makes all the sense in the world. God wants His children to get stronger in their faith and the best way to attain it is by first letting us go through the fires of affliction. When purchasing a new vehicle, it makes sense to give it a test drive before making the final decision, right? Why should God not test us as well? My wife and I were recalling the best memories involving our family and the ones we are fonder of are the ones where we went through tough times. The memories are even sweeter because we went through them together. That just may be the reason why we are a closely knit family even today. Have you noticed when others recall notable experiences in their lives, they almost always involve hard times? It is probably the same with you. A poem I read once by an unknown author went something like this: [“I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way. But left me none the wiser, for all she had to say. I walked a mile with trouble and not a word said she. But oh the things I learned from her, when trouble walked with me.”]
A man who lived by the seaside decided to build a wall to protect his house from the constant strong winds but they still knocked his wall down time and time again. Determined to conquer the winds, he decided to build it differently. This time his wall was wider than it was high. When he finished it, he turned to his wife and proudly said: “Now, if these stubborn winds knock down our wall again, it will be taller than before.” It is the same with you and me. Because Christ lives in us, once the time of testing is over, we will be stronger than ever. Lets not give our troubles more credit than they deserve.
Memory verse for the week: (John 16:33) Jesus said: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.1 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
