“Why me?” It’s a question we so often ask. Why is this happening? And why is it happening to me? Why now? Why my kids, my family, my job, my health? But … are we asking the right “why question”?
And from our New Testament reading:
We’ll talk about some very familiar verses from Romans. Most of us have likely shared these verses when talking to others about the gospel. Some of them have even been turned into what is commonly called the “sinner’s prayer.”
But is there a danger to praying the “sinner’s prayer” or “asking Jesus to come into your heart”? If so, how can we avoid it and not mislead others by giving them a false assurance of salvation?
There will be times in all of our lives when life doesn’t make sense. It may be because of sickness or tragedy, the loss of a relationship, or watching a child walk away from the Lord. It may be because of someone else’s sin or just our circumstances, but there are times when life is hard. Maybe you’re going through one of those times right now.
Whatever your difficult circumstances or mine, how should we respond? And if we’re doing well right now, what can we do to be ready when challenging times come?
Does God use tests and trials, including those caused by others, for our good? That can be a challenging thought for many of us.
How do you respond when someone sins against you? Do you get angry? Defensive? Do you allow it to justify sinning in return? If God allows us to be sinned against at times, what do we need to understand about our responses and how we should respond so we can benefit from our trials?
Do you ever find yourself bored with your prayer life? In his book, Praying the Bible, Donald Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, poses the question, “Why don’t Christians pray more?” He gives the startling answer that we don’t pray more because we tend to pray the same old way about the same old things, day after day, and prayer becomes boring! So, what does Professor Whitney recommend to infuse life into our time with God?
Also, do you ever feel like God teaches you something, you respond in obedience, and then, almost immediately, God gives you another opportunity to be tested in the same area? Perhaps you wonder, “Why am I here again?”
We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re there right now. You’re going through a trial yet God seems nowhere to be found. And you find yourself wondering why.
You believe His promise to never leave you or forsake you. You believe God answers prayers. But … silence.
We’ve all been there. Maybe you’re there right now. You’re going through a trial yet God seems nowhere to be found. And you find yourself wondering why.
You believe His promise to never leave you or forsake you. You believe God answers prayers. But … silence.
It’s been said that either you have just come out of a trial, are presently in a trial, or are about to go through one. Trials expose our hearts. They remove the dross from our lives–those things which keep us from bringing glory to God as we should. But there are things we need to understand about trials and our responses.
It’s been said that either you have just come out of a trial, are presently in a trial, or are about to go through a trial. That thought can stop us in our tracks because we don’t like trials. At least I don’t and I don’t think I’m alone. But God uses tests, trials, and suffering in our lives as a divine squeeze to let us and others see what’s in our hearts. J.C. Ryle said, “What you are in the day of trial, that you are and nothing more.” Trials show us what we are really made of!
Welcome once again to Mondays @ Soul Survival. Each week I’ll feature a book that I consider a valuable resource. This week’s selection is When Life Is Hard by James MacDonald, one of the best books I have ever read...
