Once at a Bible study, the teacher opened with the question, “Can anything good come from persecution?” How would you answer that question? And how do you respond when it does come?” Because persecution, mistreatment, and rejection do come to us all.
It’s not always life-threatening. Sometimes it comes in more subtle ways, sometimes from our own family members and friends and that hurts. So, how does God use persecution for good and how might He be using it for good in your life and mine? And the most important question is, will we respond in godly ways, ways that will enable us to benefit and God to receive glory?
Last fall the leadership team at our church met to plan out the following year. We talked about goals, scheduled events, and budgeting issues. Most people understand that planning is important. Sadly, even evil men and women spend time planning to do evil. But, what if we could make another kind of plan, a plan to do right rather than wrong, a “spiritual obedience plan,” if you will?
As I thought about this subject, it brought to mind parachuting. When a parachutist jumps out of a plane, he first wants to know that his parachute was packed properly and in working order. But, even then, he knows that things can go wrong. So, there is a plan “B,” a reserve parachute. In a way, a spiritual obedience plan can be both. It can guide us through the normal tests and temptations of life, help us to form new habits, and because it is written out, it can serve as that reserve parachute when emotions are running high.
So, what might it involve, how can we make one, and could it actually help us grow and steady us in tough times?
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.
Are you going through some difficulty? Are the things of this world pressing in? Do you feel like God isn’t even listening? Meditate on today’s reading in Psalm 30 … joy will come!
Also, read about the mouth of the righteous and the words of the perverse. And from our New Testament reading, how even the disciples struggled to understand some of the things Jesus taught them.
Have you ever felt like you have tried trusting God and things only got worse? Moses certainly did in today’s reading in Exodus. What did he do as a result and what can we learn from his response?
Proverbs has so much wisdom for us all but today’s reading from Proverbs 5 contains truths that, if heeded, can keep young men, in particular, from a lifetime of heartache and financial struggles.
And finally, from Matthew 18, we’ll talk about the seriousness of unforgiveness and its effect on our relationship with God.
Why are we told that God will use our trials for good? What if someone has hurt us terribly or meant it for evil? What good can possibly come from those kinds of trials? And what is required of us for good to come from them?
Also, why is it so important to guard what we put into our hearts and minds? And what did Jesus mean when He called us to “take up our cross” and follow Him?
We’ll look at these important subjects in today’s post.
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.
Suffering … we don’t like to think about the possibility that we might suffer. Yet, tests, trials, tragedies, suffering, and persecutions come to us all. We will probably never be completely prepared for tragedies and intense suffering. Those things often knock the wind out of us at least for a while. But is it possible to have the kind of spiritual foundation that will keep us from being completely knocked down by suffering? If so, what can we do to prepare?
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!
