For us here in the panhandle of Texas, any day that it rains is a good day! So today was a good day - a nice, warm afternoon shower brought much needed moisture and it was so nice to sit on the patio watching the rain come down. Add to that, three of our granddaughters were sitting on the patio with us, so that made today a very good day.
When talking about difficult times, it's hard to see what is happening to our world today and not project these difficult times into the future years when our children and grandchildren will be living through them. I cannot imagine that the world will suddenly "get better" over the next decades and evolve into a kinder, more loving place. I see how our world has changed over the last twenty to thirty years and I don' see it as a better place now - much to the opposite. The world of 1990 seems so mild in comparison. I worry about the future for our children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren --- but then I'm reminded, this is all in God's hands---now, during our difficult times---and then, with whatever is to come. I pray that God will come to gather up His children sooner than later --- but that, too, is in His omnipotent, all-knowing, loving hands.
In thinking about our lives, wouldn't it be nice if they came with chapter headings? I turned to our Scripture of today and my Bible contains the heading,"Difficult Times Ahead." Wouldn't it have been nice to have flipped the page in our life book to January 1, 2020, and read, "Difficult Times Ahead." Think we could have braced ourselves a little bit? Well let's start bracing now, because I'm pretty sure that difficult times still lie ahead for all of us - no matter the world situation, we will all experience difficult times ahead in one form or another.
When talking about difficult times, it's hard to see what is happening to our world today and not project these difficult times into the future years when our children and grandchildren will be living through them. I cannot imagine that the world will suddenly "get better" over the next decades and evolve into a kinder, more loving place. I see how our world has changed over the last twenty to thirty years and I don' see it as a better place now - much to the opposite. The world of 1990 seems so mild in comparison. I worry about the future for our children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren --- but then I'm reminded, this is all in God's hands---now, during our difficult times---and then, with whatever is to come. I pray that God will come to gather up His children sooner than later --- but that, too, is in His omnipotent, all-knowing, loving hands.
In thinking about our lives, wouldn't it be nice if they came with chapter headings? I turned to our Scripture of today and my Bible contains the heading,"Difficult Times Ahead." Wouldn't it have been nice to have flipped the page in our life book to January 1, 2020, and read, "Difficult Times Ahead." Think we could have braced ourselves a little bit? Well let's start bracing now, because I'm pretty sure that difficult times still lie ahead for all of us - no matter the world situation, we will all experience difficult times ahead in one form or another.
Remember, our question this week is going to be: What is the purpose(s) of suffering in a believer's life and in what different ways can we suffer?
And our verse to memorize this week will be one that we probably already have a jump start on, but one that needs to be secure! "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9
OBSERVATION
2 Timothy 3:10-12 " But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance,along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 "For we don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in the province of Asia; we were completely overwhelmed---beyond our strength---so that we even despaired of life. However, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead."
Today we're going to look at some of the "adventures" of Paul and Timothy, his protege. Their adventures were not tales of fun and frolic. In looking at our first passage Paul reminds Timothy of everything that Timothy had been hearing about Paul's travels - and about Paul's sufferings. But Paul is quick to point out that he's still here and that was due to God's rescue of him.
In the second passage, Paul is relaying to the Corinthians what he and his now fellow sufferer for the cause, Timothy, have been through - they thought they were going to die! But, once again, God came to their rescue and they have lived to tell their story of deliverance.
Just as God made clear to Paul that he would suffer, Paul, in turn, made very clear to Timothy that if he joined Paul on his mission crusades, his life would not be easy - but it would be purposeful and victorious. He restates that if you're going to live for Christ, you will be persecuted.
I remember reading 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 when I really heard for the first time what it was saying, and it wasn't, "God won't ever give you more than you can bear." (Not in the Bible, by the way!) It WAS specifically saying that at times God WILL give you much more than you can bear, so that you will be overwhelmed, beyond your own strength, even convinced that you're going to die.
I have learned to look for the "so that"s in the Bible. They are always telling us why something happened and what purpose it accomplished. Here Paul tells us, "so that, we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.
God put them in this precarious, life-threatening situation that they could do nothing about, that they had no power over and no escape from, SO THAT they would learn not to trust in themselves, not to think that they could always figure the answer out, not to lean on their own understanding...but, SO THAT they would learn to absolutely trust God...if He raises the dead, He can handle everything else as well, can't He?
That's our observation for today: in life's difficulties, we have to trust God, our God who has the power to raise the dead...and not ourselves for even a minute. The God who created the universe is asking us to trust Him more than we trust ourselves --- why would we even argue with that? Isn't He able to do infinitely more than we could ever come up with?
God may give you more than you can bear, just SO THAT you will realize this very thing --- you can trust Him! He will come to your rescue. He will make a way when it looks like, to our very human eyes, there isn't a way. You may be very surprised at how and when He does it - but He will. And that's the faith part...faith in Him to do what He has promised.
Isaiah 41:10 "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand."
Psalm 71:2 "In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; Incline Your ear to me and save me."
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