Tag: what God allows

Times of Trial Define Us

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It is very easy to become frustrated, concerned, depressed, or even angry, when things seem to be piling up against us. We must recognize and celebrate that God works in all things. He is not absent during the bad times. He is taking every element of our circumstances and using them to sculpt who we are. As we mature in our relationship with God, we learn to understand that the work that He does in us during the times of trial defines who we are in Jesus Christ. Even more so as we grow in Christ, we learn to find comfort, even joy, in every step that we take under the divine care of Almighty God.

This supernatural joyful comfort that we come to experience in the face of the pressures of the world defies the emotion that our flesh demands. Through our trials, our faith carries us and builds us up where carnal men lose hope and are broken down. We come to learn that God has allowed us to be where we are and even though we cannot see it at times, He is controlling all things in our lives. Ultimately, regardless of what external ministry to which He may call any of us, He calls each of us by His special grace from darkness to light and from bondage to liberty according to the eternal purpose that He has set aside for us.

Let us find peace in the Lord when the world offers none. Let us rejoice in the victory that is ours even though we don’t see it yet. Let us hold firm to our faith which carries us through all trials and ultimately builds us up.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your sovereign rule over our lives. We rejoice in knowing that we can find peace in You no matter what is going on around us. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will will strengthen us when the world tries to weaken us. We pray that the Holy Spirit will turn us back to the light of victory when the world is trying to turn us to the darkness of defeat. We pray that through it all our trust in You will be complete as we are delivered into Your will and plan for our lives. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

Measuring Life from an Eternal Perspective

2 Corinthians 4:17
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

As Christians, we all love the promise of Romans 8:28. We all take great comfort from the idea that all things in our lives are going to work together for good. We are certain to be very disappointed, however, if we narrowly define “good” in a temporal sense and not in a spiritual sense. Our frustration will be even greater if we fail to measure the “good” in our lives from an eternal perspective.

There is simply no question that God orders or allows everything in our lives. To think that one iota of our lives can pass by without Almighty God being in control is heresy. God created us and wants to use us for His eternal purposes. He will control every component of the people, places and things in our lives in order to see that we are successful in fulfilling His eternal calling on our lives. He will measure the good that He provides for us only from an eternal perspective. If temporal goods help us meet our calling, they will be poured upon us. If temporal goods become a stumbling block for us, they will be replaced by trials and affliction. If our trials and affliction work for our eternal good, then God will consider them as a good things and He will allow them to be poured out upon us so that He may produce a glory in us that vastly outweighs the burden of our trials.

Just as the Father called His Son into service, so does He call us. The good that God works in our lives will be reflected in the things that He brings to us in order to take us from darkness to light, from bondage into liberty and from the company of sinful men into fellowship with Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Let us recognize that Almighty God is in control of every single element in our lives. Let us find the good that He has in store for us whether it comes from earthly provision or earthly burden. Let us rejoice in the meticulous plans that He has for our eternal good.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for setting aside roles for us in Your eternal plans. We rejoice in knowing that You will work out every single element of our lives in order that we may fulfill the purposes that You have created us to meet. We pray, Lord, for the grace to be able to live with our focus on our eternal good and the eternal good of those around us. May the Holy Spirit help us and strengthen us when we weaken because we cannot see the good that You are putting into place for us. We praise Your Name because we know that Your way and Your work are perfect. We ask all these things in the name of God incarnate, Jesus Christ.