Ordained Difficulty

As Christ-followers we have our trials. It was never designed by God, when He chose us that we should live untested. We’ve been selected in the fiery furnace. We’ve never been intended for worldly peace or enjoyment. "Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times.” (Acts 14:22 MSG)
The Bible never guarantees an exemption from sickness or the pressures and pains of everyday life. Jesus authored the contract for believers’ privileges; He included correction among the things to which Christ-followers would inevitably be recipients. Trials are a part of the journey. They are apart of our heritage in Christ. As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so are our trials allotted to us. God has designated their season and their time and place., He calibrated their intensity and how they affect us.

As Christ-followers we must never expect to escape troubles. Biblical history leaves no question that none of our predecessors were without them. Have you forgotten the trials and tribulations of Job? How about Abraham, he sure had his moments. Yet, by faith he moved through them, he became the "Father of many nations." A simple recollection of the written accounts of the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and it doesn’t take long to discover none of those who were recipients of God’s mercy were exempt from passing through the fire of affliction.

Although difficulty is the ordained path of Christ-followers, we have the comfort of knowing that our Lord and Savior has passed through it before us. We have the promise of His presence and compassion to press on. We have His grace to sustain us. We have His example to teach us how to move forward. Know this, that when we reach "the sweet-by-and-by," it will more than compensate for the "difficult times" through which we passed to enter it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given...
Read more

Control Yourself

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said: You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use. You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you. You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head. You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults. Why worry about things you cannot cont...
Read more

Bounce Back

As a 7th grader in junior high school, I was devastated when I was cut from the starting 8th grade football team and sent to the second team.   I felt disappointed, embarrassed and dejected.   Latter that week, I spoke with my grandfather who passed on these words of wisdom, “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce back that matters.”   I took those words to heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:11, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” I valued his wise words and committed to doing my best for this second string team, instead of pouting and complaining over my sense of failure. I committed to working hard, giving my all to bounce back. It served me well as I entered high school and played on two state championship teams. I learned that day that what happens to me in life doesn’t count as much as how I react to those things.   I had a choice the day I was cut from the team—I could wallow in misery and quit the team, or I ...
Read more