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God may show you the way, but you still have to make the journey. It is not always easy, but you will arrive at your destination. Have faith in HIM.
Tuesday's Trust
Coming Out of Our Spiritual Train-Wreck
~by Tommy and Angie Prince
~by Tommy and Angie Prince
What is it about...
"In this world you will have trouble/suffering"
that we don't understand?
Look at Jesus' life ~God's own Son~ and you will see suffering. Even He was not exempt. Why then do we somehow think we are exempt?
Predominantly, what's being preached from behind today's pulpit is "blessings-and-prosperity," and "trouble-and-suffering" are treated as just minor inconveniences. There is a mindset ---
"If you do everything right, you will be exempt from suffering, and all will turn out well,"
where it could be argued that the apostle Paul and the disciples looked forward to suffering. It is what happens when we stand against evil.
The "normal" for the disciple of Christ then is suffering; the abnormal for His disciple is the absence of suffering.
If they listened to Me, they will listen to you. If they hated Me, then they will hate You. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you. (John 15:20)
There is also a mindset in today's church that many of us Child-Loss Grievers have come up against that can be so completely demoralizing on top of our already considerable angst, and that is that
"Any bad experience that might occur is one that should be overcome quickly and with little suffering, and 'victory' declared within a few months at most."
Child-Loss-Grievers' lives then become an anomaly that needs to be pushed into the shadows for no one to observe as our burden of grief is viewed as if it were an affront to God, as if we were one "cursed," certainly not blessed.
But God Himself says,
"Blessed are you that mourn for you will be comforted."
When fellow brothers and sisters in the faith avoid us, He Himself comes alongside to enter into our depth of pain, to ensure that we have His comfort.
If indeed "Normal" is defined as trouble-and-suffering for a child of God, in what then do we put our Hope?
If it is in our circumstances alone, then it follows we are in trouble spiritually as "we are of all people most to be pitied..."
1 Corinthians 15:19
... If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. ...
But Jesus says,
In this world you WILL HAVE TROUBLE, BUT be of GOOD CHEER--- (Why? Because Jesus declares,) FOR I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
HE is our HOPE ~ not circumstances...
~~~~~
Scriptures:
John 16:20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his lord.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. (Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)
Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer; (WEB)
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present trouble, which is only for a short time, is working out for us a much greater weight of glory; (See NIV)
2 Corinthians 6:4 But in everything making it clear that we are the servants of God, in quiet strength, in troubles, in need, in sorrow, (BBE NIV)
2 Corinthians 7:4 My words to you are without fear, I am full of pride on account of you: I have great comfort and joy in all our troubles. (BBE NIV)
2 Corinthians 12:10 So I take pleasure in being feeble, in unkind words, in needs, in cruel attacks, in troubles, on account of Christ: for when I am feeble, then am I strong. (BBE)
Galatians 5:10 I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. (WEB)
Galatians 6:2 Take on yourselves one another's troubles, and so keep the law of Christ. (BBE)
Ephesians 3:13 Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory. (WEB BBE)
Colossians 1:11 Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy; (BBE)
1 Thessalonians 3:3 So that no man might be moved by these troubles; because you see that these things are part of God's purpose for us. (BBE)
2 Thessalonians 1:4 So that we ourselves take pride in you in the churches of God for your untroubled mind and your faith in all the troubles and sorrows which you are going through; (BBE)
Hebrews 10:32 But give thought to the days after you had seen the light, when you went through a great war of troubles; (BBE)
James 5:11 We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end. (BBE)
1 Peter 5:7 Putting all your troubles on him, for he takes care of you. (BBE)
1 Peter 5:9 Do not give way to him but be strong in your faith, in the knowledge that your brothers who are in the world undergo the same troubles. (BBE)
Revelation 2:9 I have knowledge of your troubles and how poor you are (but you have true wealth), and the evil words of those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are a Synagogue of Satan. (BBE)
2 Corinthians 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; (KJV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)
1 Thessalonians 3:4 For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know. (See NIV)
2 Timothy 3:12 And indeed every one who is determined to live a godly life as a follower of Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (WEY DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (See NIV)
Revelation 12:11 They overcame (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Scriptures, thanks to Bible.cc
BBE = Bible in Basic English
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