The life of a believer who is rich in Christ is not always going to be puppy dogs and rainbows. God calls some of his followers to times of difficulty.For example, look at the life of the prophet Jeremiah. God called him to preach and prophesy to the nation of Judah during the most difficult time in the nation's history - before and after the exile to Babylon.
Jeremiah was persecuted by the king and leaders of his homeland. He had to go into hiding. He saw his friends and fellow countrymen dragged off to a foreign country.
Does Jeremiah's hardship mean that he was being punished for sin? No. God gave Jeremiah a specific mission to carry out that involved much difficulty and challenging circumstances.
Jeremiah should have felt honored by God to be called to a life of difficulty. Perhaps God gives His most challenging assignments to those He knows who can handle the pressure.
Are you in the center of God's will? Do you have a clean conscience before Him? Are you encountering some major difficulties in your life? Consider yourself blessed to be deemed worthy to be tested by God in some difficult assignment ordained by Him.
Difficulties show men what they are. In case of any difficulty remember that God has pitted you against a rough antagonist that you may be a conqueror, and this cannot be without toil. - Epictetus
The LORD said, "Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress." (Jeremiah 15:11, NIV)
Jeremiah should have felt honored by God to be called to a life of difficulty. Perhaps God gives His most challenging assignments to those He knows who can handle the pressure.
Are you in the center of God's will? Do you have a clean conscience before Him? Are you encountering some major difficulties in your life? Consider yourself blessed to be deemed worthy to be tested by God in some difficult assignment ordained by Him.
Difficulties show men what they are. In case of any difficulty remember that God has pitted you against a rough antagonist that you may be a conqueror, and this cannot be without toil. - Epictetus
The LORD said, "Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress." (Jeremiah 15:11, NIV)
This is something God's been teaching me over the past couple of years. There are really few "heroes of the faith" in the Bible who had an easy life. I'm convinced God has little concern over our circumstances and a great deal of concern over how we respond in them.
ReplyDeleteIt is very true that God is concerned with how we deal with circumstances in life. I think the way we handle tough situations shows our true character-something that God sees and wants us to recognize in ourselves. However, I do find it difficult to believe that God does not care about our circumstances in life. If God does care about us as much as he says in the Bible, then he would really be concerned about every part of our lives. I think he wants us to be happy in the life we live on Earth, but he wants us to first be satisfied with the life we have with Him. After we can truly give our lives, souls, and mind over to God then we will begin to experience the good things in life, such as puppy dogs and rainbows (though we may still be faced with challenging times). #apu
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