Try to make time this weekend to read the entire book of Job, for only then do you really see the true extent of Job’s honest dealings with God and his steadfast faith in the face of adversity.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Crisis
Crucible of Crises
God’s Word is filled with examples of those who believed God and “commenced prayer.” David certainly did. “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.”
Read MoreThe Hardest Part of the Christian Life
The most difficult discipline in the Christian life, in my opinion, is waiting. But God used that to force us to lean on Him . . . to trust Him . . . to believe in Him . . . to release our will and accept His.
Read MoreGod’s Faithfulness amidst Our Confusion
Elie Wiesel gives readers a tragic perspective on the horror of the holocaust. Wiesel’s book, Night, will grab you and not let you go. In terse, tightly packed sentences, he describes those scenes and his own confusion.
Read MoreSome Common Misconceptions, Part 2
Yesterday, we learned that God’s servants have no special powers in themselves. Thinking they do is our first misconception. Our adequacy comes from God alone. Another misconception is that servants don’t struggle with everyday problems.
Read MoreThe Hope You Need
Somewhere along the many miles of southern California shoreline walked a young, 20-year-old woman with a terminal disease in her body and a revolver in her hand. She had called me late one evening. We talked for a long time.
Read MoreSorrow and Hope
If tears were indelible ink instead of clear fluid, all of us would be stained for life. The heartbreaking circumstances, the painful encounters with calamities, the brutal verbal blows we receive from the surgeon or an angry mate, the sudden loss of someone we simply adored, riding out the consequences of a stupid decision—ah! Such is the groan and grind of life.
Read MoreWhen We’ve Handled Troubles Correctly
James 1:12 offers two specific promises for those who have handled troubles as they should—one for now, the other for when we stand before our Lord to receive our eternal rewards. First, right now, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation”. There’s our word again—endure. Not only does God grant us the strength to endure, but He also rewards us for that endurance. What grace!
Read MoreHow Do We Handle Troubles?
The third question about troubles flows from James’s answer to the first two. We can’t avoid the various troubles in life, but we can accept that God has purposed them for our good. We’re to view them as opportunities for rejoicing in the work He’s doing in our lives—challenging us so He can change us. But how do we keep the trials designed for our good from crushing us?
Read MoreWhat Is the Purpose of Troubles?
When the inevitable troubles of various kinds come, remember the second truth about them—they have a purpose. We’re not just tossed into the crowd and left to fend for ourselves as God runs the world from a distance. The various troubles that occur are all part of His plan. When we accept this, we can view them as opportunities for growth.
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