"Trials make the promise sweet..."

Sanctified Trials

Posted: 27 Feb 2013 12:01 AM PST

originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.”
Job 10:2 (KJV)

If today you are tired, worn down, and acutely feeling the pressures of daily life, perhaps the Lord is doing this to develop your graces. Some of your graces would never be discovered if it we didn’t face trials in our lives.

Do you realize that your faith never looks as grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a firefly, showing little light except when it is in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star, not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God sets the jewels of His children’s graces, to make them shine even greater.

It may have been only a little while ago that, on your knees, you were saying, “Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith.” Were you not really, though perhaps unknowingly, praying for trials? For how can you know that you have faith until your faith is tested? God often sends us trials so that our graces may be discovered, and that we may know for sure of their existence.

It is not merely discovery. Real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains His children, not in dwellings of ease and luxury, but by using them in hard service. He makes them cross through streams, swim through rivers, climb mountains, and walk many long miles with heavy backpacks of sorrow on their shoulders. Could this sanctification account for the troubles you are facing? Is not the Lord bringing out your graces, and making them grow? Is not this the reason why He is contending with you?

“Trials make the promise sweet; Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to His feet, Lay me low, and keep me there.”

Question: Do you know someone who’s been going through trials who might appreciate hearing this message?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2013/02/27/cs_sanctified-trials/

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Jump for Carter Joy!

We only have one heart so Taylor is learning to take care of her's and wants to help you take care of yours too! She is raising money for the American Heart Association by participating in the Jump Rope For Heart event at her school on Friday, February 15th.

Taylor will be jumping in honor of her little cousin, Carter Joy, who was born with a heart defect and underwent open heart surgery when she was just days old.

 

 

Heart Disease can happen to anyone so it's really important to be physically active and eat healthy. Did you know that heart disease is our nation's number one killer? Help Taylor become a lifesaver!

 

Will you make a donation to help Taylor reach her goal? It's fast and easy to do on her personal webpage. Just use the link below to support Taylor today!

http://jumpgsa.kintera.org/jumpforcarterjoy

 

 Your contribution will support the American Heart Association's work to:

- Put up-to-the-minute research into doctors' hands so they can better prevent and treat heart disease among patients.
- Fund groundbreaking pediatric heart and stroke research.
- Train more than 9 million health professionals and others each year in emergency cardiovascular care.

Please support Taylor as she "Jumps for Carter Joy!"

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

Love,

Tiffany

A Life of Authenticity

by John Grant

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6

The world is full of people pretending to be someone they are not. Such people are not living a life of authenticity, a term used to describe the degree to which one is true to their own personality, spirit or character, despite external pressures.

Living a life of authenticity is not easy especially for Christians who are confronted with a pagan world and encountering external pressures and influences, which are often very different from our Christian beliefs.

You are capable of living authentically. You have the ability within yourself to stay committed to your core belief system, but it often is not easy. Your core values must be higher than your desire for social acceptance. You have the power to live courageously. You had the wisdom to live peacefully. You have the discernment to choose properly.

Living authentically will bring you personal peace. The ability to remain connected to your highest good will not escape you. Your convictions will be determined by integrity. Popularity will be a bonus but not an expectation.

A large part of the fact that Christian ideas fail to be considered as the popular norm is not for lack of professing Christians, but from the lack of professing Christians committed to life a life of Christian authenticity no matter what may be the push back of modern culture.

Our behavior is defined by those around us. As a Christian, I should constantly be in the presence of Christ, as He alone is my source of my authenticity. There is a difference between accepting a doctrine and being committed to the person of Jesus.

God created each of us in His own image, each with a specific ministry and He gave us all we will need to do it. But, oh how often the world tries to tear us away to its standards.
As we begin a new year, let us all commit ourselves to be the person within us that God created us to be and not the person the world would re-mold us into.

Are you willing to be the same on the outside as in the inside? If you will commit to walk through this year with Jesus, you will be the authentic person He created you to be.

Are you looking for a new beginning?  Look to the One who makes all things new.  Let’s dedicate this year as a year of worship and service to the One who makes all things new, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(a thought on life from John Grant )

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2013/01/30/jg_life-of-authenticity/
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

Life is HARD

Kraig emailed this devo to me this morning and it spoke such truth with me that I just had to share! Life Is Hard So You Can Grow

by Rick Warren

“Take on an entirely new way of life — a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (MSG)

Many religions and New Age philosophies promote the old lie that we are divine or can become gods. Let me be absolutely clear: You will never become God or even a god.

That prideful lie is Satan’s oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, “you shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5 KJV).

This desire to be a god shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and people around us. But as creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn’t want you to become a god; he wants you to become godly, taking on his values, attitudes, and character. We are meant to “take on an entirely new way of life — a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you” (Ephesians 4:22-24 MSG).

God’s ultimate goal for your life on Earth is not comfort but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christ-likeness is all about transforming your character, not your personality.

God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the Beatitudes of Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit, Paul’s great chapter on love, and Peter’s list of the characteristics of an effective and productive life (Matthew 5:1-12; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Peter 1:5-8).

Every time you forget that character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances. You’ll wonder, “Why is this happening to me? Why am I having such a difficult time?” One answer is that life is supposed to be difficult! It’s what enables us to grow. Remember: Earth is not Heaven!

Many Christians misinterpret Jesus’ promise of the “abundant life” (John 10:10) to mean perfect health, a comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of your dreams, and instant relief from problems through faith and prayer.

In a word, they expect the Christian life to be easy. They expect Heaven on Earth.

This self-absorbed perspective treats God as a genie who simply exists to serve you in your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. But God is not your servant, and if you fall for the idea that life is supposed to be easy, either you will become severely disillusioned or you will live in denial of reality.

Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God’s purposes, not vice versa. Why would God provide Heaven on Earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on Earth to build and strengthen our character for Heaven.

Talk About It

• In what ways have you been trying to control your circumstances or the people around you?
• In what ways are you living the “full life” that Jesus came to Earth to provide for you (John 10:10)?

Devotional

December 4, 2012

When Your Bag is Heavy and Your Faith Feels Small

By Emily Freeman

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

 

New York City is alive with the late fall air. Faith stands next to me, her blonde hair blows across her face just as the carriage pulls in front of us.

We flew to the city to stay with friends and celebrate Faith's birthday. During this entire trip I've felt a nagging sense of anxiety and worry over what's going on back home. It isn't one thing in particular, but I can't shake the heaviness. I clench my jaw and know I'm carrying around a sense of responsibility to manage things outside of my control.

It's our turn to ride. We get the carriage pulled by white horses, a detail I feel compelled to mention because it seems the ones pulled by white horses are more important than the ones pulled by regular brown horses.

The two girlfriends who are with us live here in the city. Though they roll their eyes over the cliché they've become by hanging out with us (A carriage ride through Central Park? Really must we?) they love us enough to climb up and squeeze tight into the red velvet covered benches.

The black bag on my shoulder is packed to nearly unzippable extremes with my camera, wallet, extra gloves and bottle of water. It's heavy, and my right shoulder aches beneath the weight of it.

I plop it down on the floor of the carriage just as the wheels begin to move.

Faith laughs at something the driver says. I watch as she throws back her head and claps her small, gloved hands, my bag sitting at her feet.

I remember a story I heard a long time ago about a horse and buggy and a man with a heavy load. The man climbs into a horse-drawn buggy and keeps his pack on his back once he sits down.

When asked if he would like to remove it, he answers, "Oh no, I couldn't do that. I wouldn't want the horse to have to work so hard. I'll just carry it myself."

I can't help but smile. I can see the ears of the horses in front of me, their heads bobbing up and down carrying me, my girlfriends...and my heavy bag.

I never once thought to keep my bag strapped to my shoulder so the horses wouldn't have to carry the load. That would be needless, as they were already doing the work. Why should I do it, too?

Matthew 11:28 comes to mind. Jesus issues an invitation to the weary, the burdened, the heavy-laden. He offers rest from heavy burdens to those of us who insist on carrying bags on carriage rides.

The clip-clopping of horse hooves tap out a gentle rhythm as we ride. My friends chat and laugh, yellow leaves swirl out from underneath us, and I feel a shift inside my heart.

The horses aren't just carrying my bag. They're carrying me.

We have a God who can be trusted with not only our burdens, but also ourselves. He sees and cares and notices.

He will not come undone.

He remains un-overwhelmable.

Dear Lord, gather us up into Your arms with all of our longings, fears, worries and burdens. We admit how futile it is for us to carry these things on our own. May we instead release them into your hands and walk with you by grace through faith. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Do You Know Him?

If you tend to take on responsibility for things never meant for you to carry, check out Emily Freeman's books, Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try Hard Life and Graceful {For Young Women}.

For daily encouragement, visit Emily's blog, Chatting at the Sky, where she creates photos and stories to make a place for your soul to breathe.

Reflect and Respond:
Are you carrying the burden of things you can't control?

Let's imagine what life could look like if you dared to believe God carried both you and your burdens. How would today be different?

Power Verses:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (NIV)

Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God." (NIV)

Changing My Prayers

I enjoy reading Kelly's Korner Blog and she recently posted about changing her prayers for her children.  I loved what she had to say in this post and thought I'd share it on my blog as well.

I want so much for life to be "perfect" and for everything to always be so wonderful and great for these sweet faces...

but that really is not practical and deep down I know that.  We live in a fallen world and we are sinful people and life just cannot and will not be perfect. 

These adorable children of mine

will struggle and face hard days.  And God will use it to grow them. 

They will each have to learn to trust God in their own individual lives. 

As much as I want to protect them from the harshness of this world, I also don't want to stand in the way of God making them more like Him.

I want these precious little people to live a life dependent on God, and being dependent on Him ususally doesn't come from every circumstance being easy or pain free. 

 

  I do not want to shelter my kids so much that they think living a life of comfort and safety is the way to go.  I want them to be bold for Christ.  I want them to be brave and stand up for Him and live the life He's called them to!

Devos

September 11, 2012 When It Feels Better To Blame Someone Else By Lysa TerKeurst

"Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice." Proverbs 13:10 (NIV 1984)

You want to know one of the hardest three-word statements to make? "I am wrong."

It's so easy to point out wrong in others. It's so easy to want it to be someone else's fault. It's so easy to get critical and cynical and caught up in our limited perspectives.

But boy is it hard to see our own flaws. Where we went wrong. What we need to own.

I've been challenging myself on this. I recently had to correct one of my children for trying to blame someone else for something my child needed to own themselves. I could clearly see the pride, the insecurity, and the fear all wrapped around her blaming words. And why could I see it so clearly?

Because I see it in myself.

Bummer huh?

I had to have a conversation where I explained to my child something I'm learning myself. About blaming. And the dangerous path blaming can take us on.

In most conflicts I have two ways I can choose to travel:

The Path of Pride: I can blame the other person, focus only on their flaws, and refuse to own my part of it. That response will increase my pride and decrease the Lord's blessing in my life.

The Humble Way: I can honestly assess what I'm contributing to this conflict, admit where I went wrong, and ask for forgiveness. That response will lead to humility and increase the Lord's blessing in my life.

I see this principle woven throughout the Bible:

James 4:6, "That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (NIV 1984)

Proverbs 29:23, "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor." (NIV 1984)

Matthew 23:12, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (NIV 1984)

I know this. I believe this. So, why do I still find it hard to implement sometimes?

Well, here's where my head wants to go when I start examining certain conflicts: "But what if it really isn't my fault? It's not fair to assign the blame with me when this person did this and this and this."

But that's the wrong direction to go. Don't try to assign the blame. Just own the part you brought into the conflict. When I approach a conflict with a heart of humility, I've yet to see where I haven't added something to the issue.

And if the other person doesn't own their issues—the Lord will deal with them. (See the verses above.)

There are gifts hidden in the tough stuff of conflict. There is grace and honor to be gained. But I'll only see those gifts if I stop blaming others and start examining myself.

Dear Lord, I want to follow Your teaching in this. But it's so hard. I'm mad and frustrated and hurt. The last thing I feel like doing is examining where I am wrong. But I know that's what I need to do. Will You soften my heart? Will You give me eyes to see beyond my hurt? Will You help me cut through the assumptions and wrong-thinking? I want to honor You in this, I really do. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
What do you do when you need to draw boundaries in certain tough relationships? If you feel you need to make some tough decisions in one of your relationships, click here to read Lysa's blog today.

Join the Proverbs 31 Ministries' Unglued Online Bible Study! This Unglued study, hosted by Melissa Taylor and Lysa TerKeurst, starts Sunday, September 23rd. You won't have to leave your house, change out of your pajamas, or even put on makeup. Click here to find out more and sign up!

To get your copy of Unglued, click here. To get your Unglued Bible study workbook and DVD, click here.

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Reflect and Respond:
Think of a recent conflict with someone. Which way did you travel?

Remember, it's never too late to go back and go the humble way.

Now think of a conflict with someone that is happening right now. How can you travel the humble way?

Power Verses:
Psalm 25:9, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." (NIV 1984)

Proverbs 11:2, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (NIV 1984)

© 2012 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.