Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Trials of this Life

Often I hear of another brother or sister who is encountering trials bigger than their ability to solve them. They are suffering but have no solution except to turn to Christ.
Those who love the Lord weep as well as are comforted by the knowledge that Christ works all things together for our good, even the tough stuff.
We hurt along with our brothers and sisters when they cannot pull together the fleshly and emotional strength to climb out. What we cannot see is that Christ in them is busy working them through in His timing and His way, we can trust Him.
Never think for one moment that someone lacks a relationship with Christ because they weep and grieve. Christ Himself grieved over Jerusalem and its rejection of Him. He wept in the garden before going to the cross, knowing full well the misery and torture He was about to endure for our sakes.
There can be no greater love than to take the sins of others on Himself to allow us the blessing of being cleansed from our sinfulness and secure a home in heaven with Him.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Colossians 3:1-2 "1 Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.…"
We grieve because we are still in our flesh and our body operates according to the flesh, but our Spirit is of Christ and controls our flesh so that we do not become completely discouraged or damaged.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance”
God gave us many experiences in this life to build our faith and strength. We cannot become strong without trials.
Psalm 30:5B
"Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning."
Look to the future, to our inheritance, to the joy we will have when we look into the face of Christ and gaze upon His scars that are there because of us. We will then weep that we put them there with our sin and because of them we have gained eternity with Christ.
Romans 8:17-18 "17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us."
Hallelujah! Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ will carry us through anything.