 |
| Image courtesy of prozac1 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Jesus said that "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) It is most critical that we never lose our focus on God, as the results may not be good. When hard things come our way, we must never lose heart, for God is with us. When we become believers in Christ Jesus, God's primary purpose with us is to transform us into the image of His Son. It is during these hard times we grow. While we all desire smooth sailing in life, often these are the times we lose sight of God because we feel as though we do not need Him. It is good to remember Job during the trials in life. Job lost his property and children, yet he still praised God.
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
21 And he said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
(Job 1:20-22 NKJV)
Instead of the "poor little me" attitude leading
to discouragement, look to the promises of God and know He is working in and
through this situation. No, we do not have to like the pain, but we may always
rejoice in the grace which He gives us to get us through.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteAn excellent reminder to keep our eyes on God. When I do that I can praise God in good times and during the trials.
You may want to listen to our Pastor's sermon from last Sunday on 1 Thess 5:18. Go to Kindred Community Church, click on the Listen tab and you can download or listen online.
Thanks for always bringing your readers to Jesus.
Thank you Susan. I might do just that and go listen to your pastors sermon. God bless
ReplyDeleteSo true Ken! We can either rise to the challenges we face or we can let them push us down. Even in the painful conditions we encounter, we must keep our minds on His Word with a cheerful heart because He is the light in the midst of the storm. :)
ReplyDeleteGod bless you my friend; have a wonderful weekend! :)
Denise
Thank you Denise. May God also bless you and hope you have an awesome weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI always love the picture of looking at our cup as either half full or half empty.
It is during the hardships that we cry out to God. My sister once said to me if we always had good time and never any bad times we really wouldn't know what a good time is.
Thanks for sharing Ken.
Blessings,
<><
The Lord has been speaking this to my heart for awhile now. It is important to keep our focus on Gods word..his promises and encouragements...I fear very hard days are ahead for all of us.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, Child of God. Thank you for sharing and God bless.
ReplyDeleteMe too Dee, the Lord has been speaking a lot of this into my heart lately. I too am afraid that we may be in for some hard times. That is what motivates me to write such posts. My posts are just as much for me as my readers. I sure do need the encouragement. Thank you and God bless
ReplyDeleteAmen. I heard the wife of a cancer patient give glory to God that they were able to endure in the strength that only God can give.
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen for your comment. Praise God for the strength He gives.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Ken,
ReplyDeleteVisiting again to read your post. It's very good. I was working on my Bible study and just read that passage in Job and they compared it to Naomi's response in the book of Ruth.
You are right, during the good times it's easy to start drifting and forgetting how much we need the Lord. During the hard times, we draw close to Him.
May we keep our eyes on Him and trust Him, believing He is who He revealed Himself to be through His Word.