Christ in us knows why we are going through trials, to strengthen us. We must go through difficult things to make us stronger like a weight lifter who must tear his muscles so when they repair themselves they are stronger than they were before.
James 1:2-7 "2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
For those who love the Lord, we have trials to make us stronger and we can look back and see all that we learned from those trials. Perhaps the only thing we learn is that Christ goes through with us, and believe me it is the most valuable lesson. Life is full of challenges for the born-again believer but they never devastate us.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
"8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."
The thief who defended Christ on the cross had no works to show, but what he had was faith alone that Christ was Who He said He was. He went that same day into paradise with Christ.
Luke 23:42 "…42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”"
Whether the struggle is of our own making when repentance is needed to be forgiven or something that came upon us that was not our own doing we can go through it knowing Christ knows all about it, what is to be done next if anything, and what the outcome will be.
My husband used to say often, "will this matter in 100 years?" The answer was clear all that we do right now is insignificant compared to our inheritance and life in heaven.
1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,"
Colossians 3:23-24
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."
Hallelujah!!! There is great hope for all born-again believers and those who are not yet saved can have it too if they will just believe Christ and desire Him to change them into a new creation.
John 14:6
"6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."
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