You are those who have stayed with me in my trials … -- Luke 22:28
Jesus commended His disciples who had made His trials, up to
that point, their trials. The Lord has
made all of our trials His trials.
We have a choice, and it is not whether or not we will
experience suffering and temptation, fears and uncertainty in life. We can choose our trials or His trials. We can choose to go through life’s pain
becoming embittered by its meaninglessness, randomness, and purposelessness.
The other option is to go with God. He will lead us into times, not of
temptation, but of tempering. The blade
of the sword passes through fire, goes between hammer and anvil, is quenched in
oil or water. It is not destroyed but
perfected. It becomes sharp but not
brittle, flexible yet unyielding.
God created the cosmos, and He sustains it. He can move heaven and earth, but He loves us
and leaves us free to love Him. Or to
reject Him. The will is ours. Will we stay with Him through His
trials? Or will we pick up our sack of
suffering, and, doubled over by the load, stumble off on our own?
When I stand before the Lord, I think it would be good to
hear Him say, “You stayed with Me.”
Sometimes it is hard. We go
through things that make us question our faith and doubt our worth and God’s
goodness. Yet these are His trials, and,
as we go through them with Him, He also goes through them with us. I will
never leave you nor forsake you.
3 comments:
I don't know how atheists cope. Maybe most avoid the subject by submersing themselves in material delights.
What I'm coming to reluctantly accept is that no matter how good a Christian I try to be, I'm gonna suffer. Can't use Christianity as an escape route. Bummer.
"When I stand before the Lord, I think it would be good to hear Him say, “You stayed with Me.” Sometimes it is hard. We go through things that make us question our faith and doubt our worth and God’s goodness. Yet these are His trials, and, as we go through them with Him, He also goes through them with us. I will never leave you nor forsake you."
That is my hope as well. It ain't easy but it sure is worth it.
Yeah, John, this is something that I've really struggled with the last several months.
You're right, Ben, it is worth it.
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