By David Brenneman
"For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights."
Proverbs 3:12.
Love is the motivation behind everything God does in us and
everything He allows into our lives. The Father is never acting in anger or wrath when He allows trials to assail us. Rather, He cares about us too much to see us continue in sin, remain in a lukewarm spiritual state, or go unfulfilled in His purposes for our lives. He moves to help us change, grow, and become both spiritually mature and whole in spirit, mind, and body. This also means He disciplines us for our good when necessary.
God's purpose is not to break our spirits but, rather, to breach the stubbornness of our wills in order to carry out His will through us. A good parent knows that any streak of obstinacy in children must be lovingly prevailed over so that they can grow up to be productive, law-abiding, generous, and loving spouses, friends, parents, citizens, and members of the body of Christ. In the same manner, God seeks to eliminate the pride, self-focus, and disobedience that keep us from being the loving, generous, fruitful, Christlike people He created us to be.
Jesus, I know You love me. Help me to endure this trial in a manner that honors You. Amen
-Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley.
Most of the things that we go through we have no idea why. Oh we can, like for centuries mankind has, point fingers.
But for those who truly believe...there's a greater purpose to what we go through. Juat as the purpose of parenting is the bringing up of children in the Lord so it is with us in Christ. Our parents taught us, for the most part, how to talk, walk, dress, eat, behave as we needed to in order to function well in society and in the home.
The Spirit, after we come to Christ, because of our new birth in Christ, is doing all that and more. We don't know how to live a life approved by God. We don't know how to dress for spiritual growth and spiritual battles. We don't know nor understand the true dangers of sin and the nature of God's enemy or his minions. We don't know how to use our spiritual lives for God's glory. We need to be taught. We need to go through that crucible, those fires of purpose and purification to come out as those approved by Jesus.
It can and will seem painful at times, but never at any time are we alone in them.
Much more than a parent staying with a child on a bike without training wheels for the first time our Lord Jesus Christ stays with us always and in everything.
Purification of precious metals is a difficult process. An often time sensitive process. It's a formula of time, temperature and sometimes additional materials to purify precious metals.
In Scripture we are the precious that is being the purified to become like Jesus Christ.
For those who are saved we are the precious Bride of Christ. We are part of the body of Christ. We are to obey in what we're told, instructed, to be doing in the Lord.
We may or may not understand the details but we must trust the Spirit to knows what He's doing in and through us.
When we look back at the early Church in the days leading up to the Romans who burned down the Temple, the fires of persecution were everywhere. Satan thought he was going to crush, snuff out, Christianity, but through these events the Church grew.
While he tried to turn up the heat, he was only permitted to go so far.
He wasn't permitted to run amuck.
He was and is to this day still answerable to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
So while you, my Dear Reader, may be going through some heavy things you are never alone in them. Seek out what His purpose is for them in you. Look for possible unconfessed sin. Look for things that He knows and is showing you that need to be removed from your life in order to become more like Jesus. Look for the possibility that He's needing to change your priorities, your dreams, your ambitions.
We are still here and not immediately taken to Heaven because of both our sanctification, that is our becoming more like Jesus Christ, and to still seek the lost and direct them to Jesus for salvation. Some of us are indeed on the front lines of the heaviest of spiritual warfare. The thing to remember is it is never things that are at stake in spiritual warfare it always only people at stake.
We may be hurting but we can rejoice in knowing that Jesus sees, Jesus knows, and most importantly Jesus loves.
Trusting in the Lord with all your heart and not leaning on your own understanding isn't just a saying it is how to live life in Christ.
Your physical body will try to convince you of everything but the spiritual realities of whatever is happening in your life. It will try to distract you. Even those around you whom you think you can trust may not see what Jesus wants to accomplish in your life.
Don't be afraid to cry out to Jesus. We do the most damage to our lives when we try to handle spiritual matters on our own.
All of the whole armor of God is provided by God. Ever think of this?
Even the instructions for putting it on are only in the Word of God...let alone how to properly use it.
An lastly the whole armor of God fits you. The flaming arrows of the evil one might hurt for a time but they cannot prevail against what God provides to protect you.
Trust in His wisdom for what you are facing. Obey in the big things and the small things. In what seems important and what doesn’t. Ours is to obey and leave the consequences to Him.
Jesus loves you more than you can imagine or think. He will see you safely to His Heaven in due time.
"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:6-11.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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