Life is hard. Even for Christians. Sometimes we are good at hiding the hard stuff. The pain, the hurt, the sorrow, the grief, the discontentment, the real-life circumstances that are weighing us down and threatening to pull us under. Just because we are believers in Jesus Christ and have the hope of eternal life, does not mean we are immune to the trials of this sinful world. In fact, the Bible is very clear and states that we will indeed suffer in this world. Sometimes our struggles come because of our own sin, but sometimes it is because of the sinful world we live in. However, our trials are not to be lived out in vain. Oh no, there is a purpose.
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us." ~ II Corinthians 1:3-7 We are to use our sufferings to comfort others. What has God brought you through? What hardships have you carried? What trial has now been put behind you? What did you learn from these things? How has it strengthened your faith? How can you use your experience in those situations to help others? Who around you is hurting, suffering, struggling through something that God has brought you through? How can you comfort them? I encourage you to reach out to those God has placed in your path. God has called us to share the Good News of salvation with all people, and a lot of the time, it's our struggles that we use in sharing our own testimony. I am nothing without God. Every trial He has brought me through had nothing to do with my strength, it was only because of His power. I am human. I have too much failure on my own to make a difference in another person's life, but because of the Holy Spirit that lives within me, I have a means to reach others for Christ. "For God, who said, 'Let there be light in the darkness,' has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." ~ II Corinthians 4:6-7 As born-again believers, we belong to God and His Holy Spirit dwells within us. We are but a fragile clay jar, but we hold the greatest treasure: Jesus Christ. It is because of this, that we can overcome the sorrow, suffering and despair of this world and the hardships we walk through. What are you struggling with today? What burden is weighing you down? Can I remind you to whom you belong? You are held tight in the hand of our Almighty God. "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." ~ II Corinthians 4:8-10 Are you pressed on every side? Are you perplexed? Do you feel hunted down? Have you been knocked down? In all of our suffering, may we continue to live for Christ. May He be seen in our reactions. May we keep seeking Him and His direction so that He can be glorified and others can come to know Him as their Savior. Our lives on earth are only temporary. May we continue to rest in the comfort of God, and may we persist as we go through our own trials knowing that God is in control. I pray that each of us are encouraged by these words: "For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." ~ II Corinthians 4:17-18 I'm praying for each of you, Sweet Sisters. Let's fix our gaze on things we cannot see! Keep reading God's Word! Joyfully His, Andrea "
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For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
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