Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
1 Peter 4:12-13 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
2 Tim 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
James 1:2-4 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Trials and testing...wow...I must say I have never liked "pain" or "being uncomfortable". The scripture above tells us a bit more about trials....Not that we should seek "trouble" but it would appear clearly from scripture "Trials and Testing" are to be used in our lives to make us mature in Christ.
I thought to myself as the spring gardens are coming into bloom this year...who was the first person to think of fertilizer?
Who said..."Hey what will happen if I put the 'cow exhaust' on this turnip???"
I remember in history class the accounts of the Native Americans teaching pilgrims to bury a fish's head beside the corn plant as a fertilizer?
As I child I worked alongside my grandparents in their garden...yes I have spread cow manure and actually buried fish remains in the garden as fertilizer...IT WORKS GREAT, TOO!
Okay...so what is the point of all of this. Trials, trouble, Testing, problems...the stinky refuse in our lives we would rather not experience....I propose they are the FERTILIZER God uses to GROW us in CHRIST.
Let me stop and be clear...I am not talking about sin. If you are not a Christian or unsure if you are Christian, click on the SMILEY Face ICON and take the Good Person Test. If you are a Christian and you have sin causing problems and difficulty in your life...repent, stop sinning and let the Holy Spirit cleanse you.
Trials are different...when you seek to follow God with all your heart and problems appear to intensify...rejoice in Christ. The scripture tells us trials come to our lives, not because we have done something wrong, but so we can growing closer to our LORD primarily through time alone in prayer.
I have wasted far too much time in my life, wasting my friends time lamenting about the stresses of life. I am sure you know from experience you really don't feel better after "getting it all off your chest" to another frail helpless human. Tell your Heavenly Father about your stress...about how it hurts, about the tough world we live in, about how you love HIM. In addition to prayer....serving others, reading and memorizing scripture are also part of the complete growth plan...
The Holy Spirit will complete His work in you ...GROWING in you up Christ, if you keep close to HIM.
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