So many things in life are promised to us. Most promises are good - the love of Jesus Christ, shown in the shedding of His blood to cover our sins, the hope of an eternity spent in His presence when we place our trust in Him, peace which passes all understanding...all wonderful gifts of grace! Yet, there are things we will face in this life as followers of Jesus, that are inevitable - death, trials...hardships of all sorts. Jesus told us that in this life we will face trials, but He did not stop there... Read on to see the end of that wonderful verse in John 16:33. will see Him as He is, and all the struggles and trials of this life will show their purpose...full circle. His grand plan will be clear! His perfect and most wonderful plan! Amen..?! AMEN! So, knowing that we will face trials of all sorts, what do we do as believers do when those storms arrive? The answer to this question has everything to do with how you are building your life. Are we building upon the Rock, the Rock of Jesus Christ..? What is our foundation in this life..? A promise so true found in my own personal journey thru many trials and storms is this - I tremble on the Rock, yet the Rock NEVER trembles beneath me. When all hope seems lost, I can find my hope in His mighty strength. We are not called to walk thru this life with eyes of flesh and fear, yet with eyes of FAITH. By faith, we can turn our eyes upon Jesus...and when we do that - what happens? The things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND GRACE! Focus on what you cannot see instead of what you do see. Focus on your faith in Jesus! The battle on this earth will always be to choose to dwell on the temporary OR on the eternal. Our citizenship is in HEAVEN, so why do we so often fall into living as if this life on earth is ALL there is? The answer is because we are human. We are fallen. We are prone to cling to what we SEE! Yet, as believers, we are called to a HIGHER CALLING - to live as Sons and Daughters of the Holy One - hidden in Christ...until one day we will be WITH Christ! We will see Him as He is, and all the struggles and trials of this life will show their purpose...full circle. His grand plan will be clear! His perfect and most wonderful plan! Amen..?! AMEN!
Suffering is certainly an obstacle, but for the believer, it does not stop there - suffering is also an OPPORTUNITY! An opportunity to show what we are built upon, to show the world the Light and the Glory of the Risen King, even and ESPECIALLY amidst great struggles, loss, immense pain, and tragedy. I do not speak these things blindly, for I am in the midst of my own great trial... a trail I never would have dreamed would come to me right now in my life... yet, as surprised and beat down as I feel by it, God is not surprised... He knew this trial would come just as it did before the foundations of the earth were formed. As big as this tragedy is, God is bigger. As hurt as my heart is, God's love runs deeper. As lost as my mind feels, God holds me tighter. As heavy as each step I take feels, God leads me faithful. What wonderful truths to cling to! Sometimes I awake at night and feel as though I am in a nightmare and I pinch myself and try to wake up. Sometimes I stand and stare and just wonder how can this all be. Sometimes I find myself feeling strong in the might of the Lord. Then other times I curl up and cry and wonder how I will ever face tomorrow. I ask myself is this all normal to feel this way...is this emotional roller-coaster ok? And God comes in and He assures me, thru His Word, the words of other believers around me, and in my heart when I pray to my Heavenly Father... Yes, child, yes...this is ok. Hurting with hope is still hurting. Hurt is real for sure. But, never, no never let Satan come and defeat you by telling you hurt is the end of the story! IT IS NOT! Hurt is quickly followed up by HOPE for all who have placed their faith in Jesus! For there to be faith that is greater than fear, first there must be fear of course. Yet, FEAR NOT, He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) - that is the end of the story! HE HAS OVERCOME! I am learning right now more than ever, just how sweet the Savior's love is, and however weak we are, however poor, however little our faith, however small our grace may feel, our names are still written on His heart, and we shall never ever lose the love of Jesus. He comforts us - oh, poor sinner, do not be doubtful, do but touch the hem of His garment, and you shall be made whole. Like the poor woman in the crowd, get at it and touch it, and He will surely say unto you, "you are saved." Psalm 9:10 reminds my hurting heart, as I pray it would remind yours, "and they that know thy Name will put their trust in Thee; for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." ...remember this in the trial you find yourself in right now, or the trial you will find yourself in down the road. We cannot escape the trials of life, but we have a hope beyond this world! We would never know the Savior's love as full as we ought if we did not have to weather the storms of affliction. Hurting is ok, but always, yes - always, see your hurt thru the eyes of hope... the hope we have in Jesus! AMEN! Comments are closed.
|
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." I welcome you to dive into my grace-filled attempt at sharing the love and truth of Jesus with you! Prayerfully and hopefully, I desire to encourage you and partner with you in your faith, fitness, freedom, and family! ♡
archives
April 2018
|