THE
GOLD IN THE HARD ROAD
BREAD
5 Blessed
are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the
Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it
with pools. 7 They
go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God
of Jacob. Psalms 84:5-8 (NIV)
8 We do
not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the
province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to
endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt
the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves
but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he
will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver
us. 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (NIV)
12 Now I
want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to
advance the gospel. 13 As a
result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone
else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord
have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
Philippians 1:12-14 (NIV)
20 I
eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have
sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,
whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the
body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not
know! 23 I am
torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by
far; 24 but it
is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that
I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in
the faith, 26 so
that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on
account of me. Philippians 1:20-26 (NIV)
29 For it
has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but
also to suffer for him, 30 since
you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I
still have. Philippians 1:29-30 (NIV)
2 Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its
work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 (NIV)
6 In
this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to
suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth
than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine
and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him,
you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and
are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal
of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NIV)
1 Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured
the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. 3 Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
(NIV)
BUTTER
“God will permit what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves. God permitted what he hates (the violent marring and death of his only begotten Son) to accomplish what he loves (salvation for sinners, whom he loves).” Joni Erickson Tada
“Heaven will work
backwards and turn even…agony into a glory.” C.S. Lewis
“The most
beautiful people…are those who have known defeat, known suffering, struggle,
and loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” Elisabeth
Kubler-Ross
“Seriously,
who wants to be known as ‘Shallow Hal’? Yet
sadly, many who claim faith in Christ fall into the mile wide and an inch deep
category. This is not of God’s
choosing. He desires for us to grow up
in Christ – to be conformed to the image of his Son – and He uses our tribulations
to bring this about. That is His chosen
instrument. Sometimes this is excruciatingly
painful – more often than not. Remember
as well, in this fallen and broken world, pain comes to all. There are no exceptions. But as believers our pain has purpose. Pain is also relative as you most likely know. A coffee stain on a white skirt can be as
devastating to some as a bad diagnosis – go figure…If tribulation, then, is
inevitable should we not prayerfully seek the purpose for it and grow up, look
up, or grow nearer, if you will, in Christ?
As believers, we are never more like our Savior as when we walk the path
of suffering and sacrifice. And whether
we are discerners of this or not the more like Christ we are the more satisfied
we will be. Remember, too, God’s grace
is always sufficient to meet every need.
Every. Need.” BHY
“So that being opposed would not come as a
surprise, he (Paul) gave them a reminder. Both believing on Christ and suffering for Him had been granted to them (v. 29).
Suffering for Christ was not to be
considered accidental or a divine punishment. Paul referred to a kind of
suffering that was really a sign of God’s favor. The Greek word echaristhē, translated ‘granted,’ is
derived from a word which means ‘grace’ or ‘favor.’ Believing on Christ and
suffering for Him are both associated with God’s grace.” Bible
Knowledge Commentary
“Indeed, we are treasures in fragile jars of clay. We do not lose heart, because in comparison to ‘the weight of glory’ that awaits us in the New Heaven and the New Earth, even our permanent afflictions are made temporary, and are heaviest burdens are lightened. For the things that we see and experience now—things like diving accidents and car crashes and wheelchairs—are temporary. And the things that we do not yet see or experience—things like renewed bodies and perfect souls and youthfulness that is renewed and will soar like the wings of an eagle—these things are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:7-18, 12:7-10; Isaiah 40:28-31).” Scott Sauls
HEART
SAVOR
- · God’s grace is sufficient to meet every need.
- · Pain always has purpose in the believer’s life.
- · This earth is temporal – heaven eternal.
