Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Let us not murmur at our losses as though we were singularly and specially tried. We should not disgrace the Bridegroom by murmuring in His presence! Besides, I am told that it will go hard with murmurers – God always chastises His children twice if they do not bear the first stroke patiently.
The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows (Luke 12:47).
All sunshine creates a desert. Learning to weep [not running from pain], learning to keep vigil [staying alert through dark times], learning to wait for the dawn [holding out that peace will eventually win] – is what it means to be human (Henri J.M. Nouwen). Adversity is the door to knowing God’s grace.
So live up to the light you have. What God has told us – not what He has not – is the definer of our duty and our responsibility today. Remember: our daily life is the sphere for glorifying Him. You evolve not by seeking to go elsewhere but by paying attention to and embracing what is in front of you here.
Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9).
They say, if you keep pushing your limits you won’t have any. With proper training, discipline and dedication, anyone can expand their limits until there are no more boundaries – only challenges.
Do you understand that God installed certain gifts and talents in you so He might find pleasure in His creation of you? Half of our spiritual perplexities would never arise if we started out by being prepared not to understand the things God does.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one’s bath like a lump of sugar. The universe is an immeasurable wheel, turning forever more… revealing with each pass things unseen before. (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia (Charles Lindbergh). Lord, please grant me a heart to behold heavenly things in the humblest of places.
God's Word on That 