He
Uses Our Difficulties
Today's
Scripture:
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.
2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV.
2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV.
Today's
Word:
We
all face difficult situations. Somebody isn’t treating you right; your business
is not growing as fast as you had hoped, or maybe you’re single and still
haven’t met anyone. It’s easy to get frustrated and anxious on the inside. You
don’t understand why it’s taking so long or why things haven’t changed.
But
here’s a key: just because it’s an uncomfortable place doesn’t mean it’s not
where you’re supposed to be. God uses difficulties to do a work in us. We grow
in the tough times. That’s when our character is being developed. God will not
allow a difficulty unless He has a divine purpose for it. If we’re going to
reach our highest potential, we have to make up our mind, “I’m not going to
live frustrated because I am uncomfortable. I’m not going to be upset because
things are not happening on my timetable. I’m not going to fight against
everything that I don’t like.” Instead, believe that God is doing a work in
you. Believe that He has the best for you. And see yourself moving forward in
the victory He has prepared for you.
Prayer
for Today:
Father,
today I give You my questions, frustrations, concerns and doubts. Have Your way
in me. I trust that You are at work in every difficult situation in my life in
Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
13 hours ago
by Rick Warren
“Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.” (Deuteronomy 30:15 GNT)
Although the world is broken, God is still in control.
Why doesn’t God just shut the earth down now? Because he’s giving us a choice. In Deuteronomy 30:15, the Bible says, “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death” (GNT).
In other words, God didn’t create you to be a robot. He gives you the freedom to make moral choices. God made you in his image, so you’re not like an animal that just goes by instinct. You’re a human being with a conscience.
In effect, God says, “I gave you the capacity to make moral choices because I don’t want to force you to love me. I want you to choose. You can either love me or not love me. You can believe in my Son, Jesus, or you can reject him. You can follow my purpose for your life, or you can go make up your own purpose for your life. I’ve given you that choice.”
God wants you to choose to love him. You can't really say you love unless you have a choice not to love. I couldn’t make my wife, Kay, fall in love with me. I can’t make her stay in love with me. It’s her choice. I can’t force it. God doesn’t force us to love him, either.
But here’s the thing about the freedom of choice: You must be willing to live with the consequences of your choices. While you’re free to choose anything you want to do in life, you’re not free from the consequences. The consequences are part of the choice.
Ecclesiastes 3:17 says, “In due season God will judge everything man does, both good and bad” (LB). In other words, there will be a day when God will ask you to explain why you made the choices you did on Earth.
God wants us to use this time on Earth to learn from his wisdom so that we can make wise decisions. When we make poor decisions, God extends his grace to us through Jesus Christ.
Here’s the Good News: Jesus forgives you instantly, completely, and freely.
Talk It Over
Although the world is broken, God is still in control.
Why doesn’t God just shut the earth down now? Because he’s giving us a choice. In Deuteronomy 30:15, the Bible says, “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death” (GNT).
In other words, God didn’t create you to be a robot. He gives you the freedom to make moral choices. God made you in his image, so you’re not like an animal that just goes by instinct. You’re a human being with a conscience.
In effect, God says, “I gave you the capacity to make moral choices because I don’t want to force you to love me. I want you to choose. You can either love me or not love me. You can believe in my Son, Jesus, or you can reject him. You can follow my purpose for your life, or you can go make up your own purpose for your life. I’ve given you that choice.”
God wants you to choose to love him. You can't really say you love unless you have a choice not to love. I couldn’t make my wife, Kay, fall in love with me. I can’t make her stay in love with me. It’s her choice. I can’t force it. God doesn’t force us to love him, either.
But here’s the thing about the freedom of choice: You must be willing to live with the consequences of your choices. While you’re free to choose anything you want to do in life, you’re not free from the consequences. The consequences are part of the choice.
Ecclesiastes 3:17 says, “In due season God will judge everything man does, both good and bad” (LB). In other words, there will be a day when God will ask you to explain why you made the choices you did on Earth.
God wants us to use this time on Earth to learn from his wisdom so that we can make wise decisions. When we make poor decisions, God extends his grace to us through Jesus Christ.
Here’s the Good News: Jesus forgives you instantly, completely, and freely.
Talk It Over
- How does it make you feel to know that God trusted you with the responsibility of making your own choices?
- What makes it difficult to think about the consequences of your choices as you’re making them?
- What poor and sinful decisions from your past do you need to accept God’s grace for?
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