8-21-17 The Truth about Adversity

Daily Devotion: The Truth about Adversity - By Greg Laurie -
 
"They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." -Acts 14:22
 
Without question, the greatest life there is to live is the Christian life. Why? Because God takes a life that was empty, aimless, and, worst of all, headed to a certain judgment and turns it around and transforms it. He forgives us of all our sin. And if that wasn't enough, He places the righteousness of Christ into our spiritual bank account.
 
He removes all our guilt, fills the void in our lives, and literally takes residence inside of us. And most importantly, He changes our eternal address from a place called Hell to a place called Heaven.
 
While it's true that God removes a lot of problems we once had, a new set of problems replaces them. Because the day we put our trust in Jesus Christ, we enter into a battle. That is why the apostle Paul said, "Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV).
 
The problem is that some have believed in what we might describe as a watered-down gospel, one that promises forgiveness but rarely tells people of the need to repent of their sins, one that promises peace but never warns of persecution, one that says God wants us to be healthy and wealthy and never have any problems to speak of. But that isn't the gospel of the New Testament. We can't take a vacation from human suffering and tragedy.
 
I am not suggesting that God wants us to be sick, poor, and miserable. I am not even saying that God doesn't want us to be happy, because I believe happiness will come as we truly follow the Lord. But it's a fringe benefit. The essence of the Christian life is knowing God and walking with Him. And God, despite the worst tragedy, can bring good out of bad. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-16-23 Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19

Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19 :: By Paul J. Scharf Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles The Messiah was a descendant of Abraham. More than that, we considered last time how He was, in fact, promised within the covenant that God made with Abram (Gen. 12:1-3). According to the Apostle Paul in Gal. 3:16 and 19, He is the ultimate recipient of that covenant! Our Savior Jesus Christ is finally the One through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Paul also quoted and discussed that portion of the covenant in Gal. 3:8-9. We ended last time with the realization that the promised Messiah would be the final Davidic king over Israel. As declared then, however, there are several intermediate steps, with accompanying prophecies, which are given between the times of Abraham and David and speak about His coming and the offices He would hold as the greatest prophet, priest, and king. And there are also more ance
Read more

9-17-23 It's Coming

It Is Coming - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/24/it-is-coming-by-daymond-duck/ On Dec. 17, 2022, it was reported that Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, has introduced legislation to permanently bar former Pres. Trump from running for president again, and 40 Democrats have signed on. Cicilline is accusing Trump of orchestrating an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time of this writing, it is debatable as to whether Cicilline’s legislation will get voted on before the new Congress takes office in 2023, but some conservatives have said from the beginning that the main purpose of the Jan. 6 fake show-trial was to stop Trump from being elected again. Some, including this writer, have said there is no telling what the U.S. shadow government will do to prevent making America great again (MAGA) because they want to surrender the sovereignty of the U.S. to the New World Order (coming world government). It was easy to see this comi
Read more

9-17-23 Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2

Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles, Wilfred Hahn Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn Reviewing the “facts” that we cited in Part 1, we noted the hyperbole and downright dishonesty in some instances to support global warming claims. Why is there such bias? Money Precedes Truth Global warming has become big business. Armies of global consultants are peddling false information because it is profitable to do so. Many claimed urgencies are exaggerated by factors of 10X … indeed, 200X in some instances and more. Governments are particularly susceptible to this hype, promising infrastructure programs estimated to cost upwards of trillions of dollars. According to a new report,1 an estimated $3.4 trillion will be invested in renewable energy during the next decade, including $2.72 trillion in wind and solar. By 2030, 54.1% of installed capacity will be renewable (including hydropo
Read more