| Job 37:1-39:30; II Corinthians 4:13-5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 22:13
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.” (Proverbs 12:25)
“Now we have this treasure in clay jars so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed…Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18)
Got you a great scripture today so be of good cheer. At some point in time we will all have struggles in life. Did you know that in these “valleys” of life are where some of our exponential growth will take place, if we handle it with the right perspective. I’ve been through serious crisis with and without the Lord and I must say that with Him is a much better road. Just think about folks who are walking through cancer or divorce without Jesus. Shudder to think…how do you get peace, how do you get vision, how do you carry on…
We were once a lump of clay but now we are clay jars, prepared on the potter’s wheel for our purpose in this life. We are an open space that is being filled with the power of God with each and every tribulation that we press through. This uncommon power and love of God is what keeps our eyes focused on the eternal unseen instead of the temporary things we see with our natural eyes. It keeps us from being overwhelmed by the world. Even though every day brings us one step closer to our body’s demise, our spirit man is growing leaps and bounds with the age, experience and fortitude that we gain through the years of relationship with the Lord.
To attain this peace everything in life must be viewed against the backdrop of heaven. Paul calls our trials “our momentary light affliction” because compared to eternity in heaven, anything we walk through here is comparably short. I know it may not feel very light or momentary to us, but be encouraged, God is with us. He will not give us more than we can bear and He will most assuredly see us through. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:38-39)
You, my friend, are a warrior, you are more than a conqueror. You have the blood of Jesus running through your veins, you are tattooed on the palm of God’s hand. You are somebody in Christ Jesus! Don’t you ever give up, don’t you ever give in, you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and know that God is with you and He is for you. He said He would never leave or forsake you and God is not a man that He should lie! (Hebrews 13:5; Numbers 23:19) Hallelujah! This would be a good spot to give Him some praise! Sometimes you just got to praise your way through!
PRAYER:
Lord, I thank You for my “momentary light affliction” and I ask You for the grace to endure, the sense to seek You and the wisdom to stay next to You. I pray that You would allow me to experience the peace of Your presence. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. |
