Posts
Hello Everyone,
I have a new and special verse to guide me this year. I have many favorites, but this one is at the top of the list.
For those who don’t know me, I am normally a positive and upbeat person; when things are positive and upbeat. Recently I have been slipping into a ‘funk’ and not dealing well with difficulties.
With that knowledge about me, let me explain how God presented the verse to me. The verse was an awakening in the midst of a struggle. Oh, I have read it many times, but this time it was like a Doctor touching your back, looking to find where the pain is located. When God presented the verse to me, I remember saying to myself; “Ouch, that’s it.” Like the Great Physician He is, God exposed my tender spot.
Forty years ago, I was going through a tough time. I was driving alone in California and having a great “pity party”. The imagery included black streamers, confetti, etc. In the midst of it, God rained on my party. He put a thought in my head. I tried to block it out. I knew it was going to ruin my party. “Bah humbug”, I thought. I had been driving along complaining and whining to God about all the things that weren’t going my way: situations out of my control, people not doing what I wanted, etc. etc. The rain (the thought) hit me like a flash of lightening, followed shortly by thunder. The steamers were sagging. My hair and clothes were all wet (figuratively speaking). I couldn’t stop it. The pity party was over.
The thought was this; “John, God isn’t near as interested in changing your circumstances as He is in using your circumstances to change you.” My reaction was “delete; erase; wipe off; paint over; do something, quick”. I didn’t want to hear this from God. It was too late. I was nailed, and I knew it. I was begging and pleading to God to change all the circumstances and people around me, but God wanted to change me! AAUUGGGHHHH! Bummer!
God knew best then, and He still does today. Decades have passed. Circumstances and challenges have changed. What God wants has not changed - He wants me to be more like Jesus.
It has taken me awhile, but I have learned God’s answer to the joy and peace I seek. It does not come from changing circumstances or modifying others behavior; but true joy and peace comes from His internal changes in me.
Now to the ‘new’ verse… Romans 5:3-4.
“3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
I’m convinced that God placed this verse into my life now to reinforce what I learned 40 years ago; “keep growing.”
Looking back over the past 64 years, I spent a lot of time whining, complaining, begging, pleading and trying to cajole God into ‘removing’ problems, headaches, heartaches, and sufferings in my life.
I am pretty good at thanking God for the good things in my life. But the tough stuff….well, not so good.
We all know that we ought to praise God and thank Him for His mercy, grace, salvation and loving kindness. Romans 5:3 tells us, we should rejoice during the difficult times we encounter - The Suffering. That’s what hit me in the heart – rejoice in our sufferings! OH man, that’s tough stuff!
These verses illustrated the balance I need in my life. I need to be grateful for the good God has done in my life, and I also need to rejoice for the Godly RESULTS that come when everything doesn’t go right and I suffer!
Periods of suffering can result in strengthening perseverance, character, hope and love. This is the good in which I should rejoice!
I need those things. I want those things. However, this strengthening does not come during the calm happy times, but when I am facing challenges in life. I’m not saying I rejoice in the suffering itself, but what can and will come from the suffering; that is what I rejoice in - The growth in my personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the transformation into His likeness.
The new verse inspires the following comparison: I decide I want to get in the best physical shape of my life. I go to the sports store and buy exercise equipment. I take it home and set it all up in the living room. Then I sit back on the couch with gratitude and look at it. I am so grateful to have some of the best equipment the industry offers. I talk about it, thank God for it. But I don’t use it. Using it means I have to sweat and build up endurance – suffer! It is going to be painful at times – suffer! So to get in the physical condition I want to be in and to build the physical muscles, there is no other way, but to use the equipment and suffer!
This comparison confirms that to build perseverance (as called out in Romans 5:3-4), I need to build stamina to deal with the challenges in life. I must face my struggles today. I can’t run from them. I can’t ask someone else to face them for me.
I made the commitment to stop whining and complaining. It’s time to rejoice in the sufferings. With this new verse (Romans 5:3-4), my focus is on future results, not on momentary inconveniences, suffering or pain. What a way to show my faith in God and His plan for my life! I would have thought that this lesson God taught me all those years ago would have stayed with me forever. However, recently I have found myself back on the couch and questioning God about the suffering. But not anymore, I’m moving on, using this lesson to grow!
So look for the new revived me as I grow in character and strengthen my perseverance - via the suffering. My goal is to develop a stronger character and deepen the hope I have in Jesus. I also hope to be more loving, like God.
I can’t be a Romans 5:3-4 Christian just by sitting in worship service, privately studying the Bible, or praising God for all He has done. These are good and helpful, but to live out God’s calling in my life, I must go beyond that. I will rejoice in the tough things that come my way, knowing that God will use these for my benefit.
Romans 8:28, 29 has a number of great promises:
“WE KNOW THAT IN ALL THINGS; GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” What a promise - He works out all things for our good. What is the Good He speaks of? We see this in verse 29; “TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON.” This is what is good and this is God’s desire for each of us.
So, suffering is part of that process. What could be better than to be more like Jesus? In God’s eyes, nothing. Once we see things as God does, we will see the value of that too. We will rejoice before God in our suffering and hard times. The result is perseverance, Jesus-like character and hope.
May God use these words to help you as you face your sufferings in this life.
For those who don’t know me, I am normally a positive and upbeat person; when things are positive and upbeat. Recently I have been slipping into a ‘funk’ and not dealing well with difficulties.
With that knowledge about me, let me explain how God presented the verse to me. The verse was an awakening in the midst of a struggle. Oh, I have read it many times, but this time it was like a Doctor touching your back, looking to find where the pain is located. When God presented the verse to me, I remember saying to myself; “Ouch, that’s it.” Like the Great Physician He is, God exposed my tender spot.
Forty years ago, I was going through a tough time. I was driving alone in California and having a great “pity party”. The imagery included black streamers, confetti, etc. In the midst of it, God rained on my party. He put a thought in my head. I tried to block it out. I knew it was going to ruin my party. “Bah humbug”, I thought. I had been driving along complaining and whining to God about all the things that weren’t going my way: situations out of my control, people not doing what I wanted, etc. etc. The rain (the thought) hit me like a flash of lightening, followed shortly by thunder. The steamers were sagging. My hair and clothes were all wet (figuratively speaking). I couldn’t stop it. The pity party was over.
The thought was this; “John, God isn’t near as interested in changing your circumstances as He is in using your circumstances to change you.” My reaction was “delete; erase; wipe off; paint over; do something, quick”. I didn’t want to hear this from God. It was too late. I was nailed, and I knew it. I was begging and pleading to God to change all the circumstances and people around me, but God wanted to change me! AAUUGGGHHHH! Bummer!
God knew best then, and He still does today. Decades have passed. Circumstances and challenges have changed. What God wants has not changed - He wants me to be more like Jesus.
It has taken me awhile, but I have learned God’s answer to the joy and peace I seek. It does not come from changing circumstances or modifying others behavior; but true joy and peace comes from His internal changes in me.
Now to the ‘new’ verse… Romans 5:3-4.
“3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
I’m convinced that God placed this verse into my life now to reinforce what I learned 40 years ago; “keep growing.”
Looking back over the past 64 years, I spent a lot of time whining, complaining, begging, pleading and trying to cajole God into ‘removing’ problems, headaches, heartaches, and sufferings in my life.
I am pretty good at thanking God for the good things in my life. But the tough stuff….well, not so good.
We all know that we ought to praise God and thank Him for His mercy, grace, salvation and loving kindness. Romans 5:3 tells us, we should rejoice during the difficult times we encounter - The Suffering. That’s what hit me in the heart – rejoice in our sufferings! OH man, that’s tough stuff!
These verses illustrated the balance I need in my life. I need to be grateful for the good God has done in my life, and I also need to rejoice for the Godly RESULTS that come when everything doesn’t go right and I suffer!
Periods of suffering can result in strengthening perseverance, character, hope and love. This is the good in which I should rejoice!
I need those things. I want those things. However, this strengthening does not come during the calm happy times, but when I am facing challenges in life. I’m not saying I rejoice in the suffering itself, but what can and will come from the suffering; that is what I rejoice in - The growth in my personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the transformation into His likeness.
The new verse inspires the following comparison: I decide I want to get in the best physical shape of my life. I go to the sports store and buy exercise equipment. I take it home and set it all up in the living room. Then I sit back on the couch with gratitude and look at it. I am so grateful to have some of the best equipment the industry offers. I talk about it, thank God for it. But I don’t use it. Using it means I have to sweat and build up endurance – suffer! It is going to be painful at times – suffer! So to get in the physical condition I want to be in and to build the physical muscles, there is no other way, but to use the equipment and suffer!
This comparison confirms that to build perseverance (as called out in Romans 5:3-4), I need to build stamina to deal with the challenges in life. I must face my struggles today. I can’t run from them. I can’t ask someone else to face them for me.
I made the commitment to stop whining and complaining. It’s time to rejoice in the sufferings. With this new verse (Romans 5:3-4), my focus is on future results, not on momentary inconveniences, suffering or pain. What a way to show my faith in God and His plan for my life! I would have thought that this lesson God taught me all those years ago would have stayed with me forever. However, recently I have found myself back on the couch and questioning God about the suffering. But not anymore, I’m moving on, using this lesson to grow!
So look for the new revived me as I grow in character and strengthen my perseverance - via the suffering. My goal is to develop a stronger character and deepen the hope I have in Jesus. I also hope to be more loving, like God.
I can’t be a Romans 5:3-4 Christian just by sitting in worship service, privately studying the Bible, or praising God for all He has done. These are good and helpful, but to live out God’s calling in my life, I must go beyond that. I will rejoice in the tough things that come my way, knowing that God will use these for my benefit.
Romans 8:28, 29 has a number of great promises:
“WE KNOW THAT IN ALL THINGS; GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” What a promise - He works out all things for our good. What is the Good He speaks of? We see this in verse 29; “TO BE CONFORMED TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS SON.” This is what is good and this is God’s desire for each of us.
So, suffering is part of that process. What could be better than to be more like Jesus? In God’s eyes, nothing. Once we see things as God does, we will see the value of that too. We will rejoice before God in our suffering and hard times. The result is perseverance, Jesus-like character and hope.
May God use these words to help you as you face your sufferings in this life.
God bless
Love in Him
John
