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CURRENT RADIO SERIES God's Secrets   CURRENT TV SERIES Unchained

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. -–Romans 8:18 At what times in your life have you felt the closest to God? When did you experience your greatest spiritual growth? I’m going to venture a guess and say that it was not during a happy or easy time in your life! You see, God uses trials in our lives. They have a specific purpose and are permitted by him. Now, this might make you think, “That’s not fair. Why did that trial have to happen to me?” That’s a normal response. But here’s the deal. The trials and tests in our lives have an important purpose. They make us stronger and keenly aware of the fact that God is with us. Just think of the physical testing and trials that athletes must put themselves through. Their training can be excruciating. They have to tear down muscle tissue to build it up. And what is true for athletes physically is even truer for you and me spiritually. You see, God uses the hard times and the pain and suffering in our lives to strengthen us and to help us grow. I know you have had tough and painful life experiences. Perhaps even ones that you thought you wouldn’t survive. But think about this: God saw you through! You came through the other side and you are stronger for it. Don’t ask God for times of smooth sailing and success. Instead, ask him to help you to trust him in every challenge of your life. Ask him to help you recognize his mercy and comfort. And ask him to help you grow so that with each blast of life’s furnace, you are being refined for eternity. God uses the hard times and the pain and suffering in your life to strengthen you and to help you grow.

A Myth about Money

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:23–26

It was often the case in Jesus’ day, as it is in ours, that people equated financial blessing with God’s approval. Those who were rich were thought to be especially favored by God, and many thought that they surely must be doing things right in order to be so blessed. Yet Jesus said that rather than riches proving someone had good standing with God, wealth often made it almost impossible for those who possessed it to enter His kingdom.
While it is certainly more comfortable to go through life with money than without, we must never forget that it is not this world that matters most, but eternity. In truth the Bible teaches that sometimes great financial success is not a blessing at all, but rather the pathway to destruction. Solomon wrote, “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them” (Proverbs 1:32).
Rather than living to accumulate assets here, we should be focused on the world to come. Jesus said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matthew 6:20). The false security people find in money has kept some from salvation, and has kept some Christians from serving God as they should. We need to cling to God’s truth and trust in Him.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

There is no reason to envy those with worldly wealth when we have all the resources of Heaven.