6th jan
Chap 25 “transformed by trouble”
God has a purpose behind every problem. He always uses problems to mould our character and shape our attitude. He depends on circumstances to develop our character and to make us more like Jesus, in fact he relies more on circumstances more than us reading the bible. The reason is simple, we face circumstances 24 hours. Therefore, God feels that this is the most convenient and easiest way to transform our character. God warned us before hand that we would have problems in the world. Everyone is prone to be ill or sick someday, and we are bound to face problems and difficulties in life, no matter how big or small. Life is a series of problems, after we solve one problem, the next problem comes by. Not all of them may be BIG problem, but they re all small and significant to God’s sight because they all contribute to your spiritual growth.
Problems are always normal in life therefore we should not fear them. however, we must always learn to overcome these problems, because if we fail to, we will definitely feel that life is a despair and grew to hate life, and eventually living a LIFe that has no LIFE. (does that make sense..living a life that has no life)
God often uses problems to draw you closer to him. Only when we are feeling lost, desperate and hopeless, then will we turn to God and ask for help. Our most intimate relationships with the lord will be those times that our loneliest, depressed, saddest and worst times in our lives. when we are stuck at a deep end, and we’re running out of options, when our heart has shattered into many pieces and is barely possible to mend the broken heart, when we feel rejected and abandoned, then will we turn to God alone. It is only during suffering that we will turn to God to find shelter, comfort, love, hope, peace and love. Only in great pain, we will learn to pray true, genuine, authentic prayers, not superficial prayers that we do them all year round, but real prayers that come straight from the heart. I was reminded by ps. Khong preaching about the drug addicts in hongkong, where they are so desperate to get rid of their drug addiction that they come in front of the lord to confess their sins so that they can gain a new life and to totally completely get rid of their drug addiction. These are people who really are hopeless beigns who simply have no way out except to take up their cross and follow jesus.
We learn things about God in suffering that we cannot learn in any other way. Brother yun also suffered greatly in china during the revolutionary years, where china undergo a lot of changes in the midst of transforming to a communist state. He wanted to preach the gospel far and wide china, to expand churches as big as thousands and tens thousands, to heal the sick and blind, perform miracles so as to testify the power of the living God. Yet, the officials took notice of him and he became a wanted criminal in china, he was charged with various unknown crimes and later thrown into prison without much of a trial. During all his suffering, he never denied the lord jesus Christ, nor did he ever made himself more distant from God, he remained closer to God even when times he got whipped, beaten and electrocuted. He constantly, fasted, prayed and even spread the gospel to his in-mates. This is a man of faith who leaned on God’s goodness and grace during times of suffering and pain. He never ever stopped giving up, continued to persevere on even though he faced many obstacles in his path. He continue to put his trust in lord, and the lord never let him down, God showed his mercy in many things that he had done and let him escape from his enemies unhurt and unscathed.
Chap 25 “transformed by trouble”
God has a purpose behind every problem. He always uses problems to mould our character and shape our attitude. He depends on circumstances to develop our character and to make us more like Jesus, in fact he relies more on circumstances more than us reading the bible. The reason is simple, we face circumstances 24 hours. Therefore, God feels that this is the most convenient and easiest way to transform our character. God warned us before hand that we would have problems in the world. Everyone is prone to be ill or sick someday, and we are bound to face problems and difficulties in life, no matter how big or small. Life is a series of problems, after we solve one problem, the next problem comes by. Not all of them may be BIG problem, but they re all small and significant to God’s sight because they all contribute to your spiritual growth.
Problems are always normal in life therefore we should not fear them. however, we must always learn to overcome these problems, because if we fail to, we will definitely feel that life is a despair and grew to hate life, and eventually living a LIFe that has no LIFE. (does that make sense..living a life that has no life)
God often uses problems to draw you closer to him. Only when we are feeling lost, desperate and hopeless, then will we turn to God and ask for help. Our most intimate relationships with the lord will be those times that our loneliest, depressed, saddest and worst times in our lives. when we are stuck at a deep end, and we’re running out of options, when our heart has shattered into many pieces and is barely possible to mend the broken heart, when we feel rejected and abandoned, then will we turn to God alone. It is only during suffering that we will turn to God to find shelter, comfort, love, hope, peace and love. Only in great pain, we will learn to pray true, genuine, authentic prayers, not superficial prayers that we do them all year round, but real prayers that come straight from the heart. I was reminded by ps. Khong preaching about the drug addicts in hongkong, where they are so desperate to get rid of their drug addiction that they come in front of the lord to confess their sins so that they can gain a new life and to totally completely get rid of their drug addiction. These are people who really are hopeless beigns who simply have no way out except to take up their cross and follow jesus.
We learn things about God in suffering that we cannot learn in any other way. Brother yun also suffered greatly in china during the revolutionary years, where china undergo a lot of changes in the midst of transforming to a communist state. He wanted to preach the gospel far and wide china, to expand churches as big as thousands and tens thousands, to heal the sick and blind, perform miracles so as to testify the power of the living God. Yet, the officials took notice of him and he became a wanted criminal in china, he was charged with various unknown crimes and later thrown into prison without much of a trial. During all his suffering, he never denied the lord jesus Christ, nor did he ever made himself more distant from God, he remained closer to God even when times he got whipped, beaten and electrocuted. He constantly, fasted, prayed and even spread the gospel to his in-mates. This is a man of faith who leaned on God’s goodness and grace during times of suffering and pain. He never ever stopped giving up, continued to persevere on even though he faced many obstacles in his path. He continue to put his trust in lord, and the lord never let him down, God showed his mercy in many things that he had done and let him escape from his enemies unhurt and unscathed.
posted by poke-the-curry @ 7:22 AM
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