THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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A lady brought her duck to the veterinarian. He looked at the duck, listened with his stethoscope, and said, "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but your duck is dead."
She said, "Oh NO! Are you SURE?"
The doctor said, "Just a moment, and disappeared through a door."
When he came back, a big black Labrador Retriever was by his side. The dog sniffed the duck, then looked at the vet and sadly shook his head.
The doctor again went out the door, and came back with a large yellow cat. The cat looked the duck up and down, then looked at the vet and sadly shook his head.
The doctor said, "Yes, Ma'am, your duck is surely dead." Then he handed her a bill for $150.
She said, "MY GOODNESS! $150 to tell me my duck is dead?"
He said, "Well, Ma'am, if you'd simply taken my opinion, it would have only been $20. But the Lab Report is $60, and the Cat Scan is $70!"
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2 Cor 12:7-9
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
KJV
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Christians are different from other people. We are saved, signed on in adoption by Christ, sealed in the Spirit, and soon to be delivered -- all by God's GRACE. But as humans in the world of sin and suffering, we are not different from others because we all must endure sickness, traumatic circumstances, and even death.
One cannot help seeing the differences in people's reactions to difficulty. One person may lose a job and curse; but a saved person may lose a job and say, "Still, I will trust in the Lord." One person may lose a spouse and become bitter, while the Christian may grieve over losing a spouse and keep a serene attitude.
Christians do handle the difficult situations better because of three Biblical revelations:
1) No difficult circumstance can come to us unless it FIRST has come by God;
2) We know that if God has allowed us to come TO it, He will see us THROUGH it;
3) We have the GRACE of God which is "sufficient" for strength.
Are you suffering today? Is the world providing you with Trial, Temptation or even Terror? Then know that nothing can come to you that has not already passed God's inspection. He holds His children in the palm of His hand, and NOTHING can "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ..." (Romans 8:39).
Therefore, know that God is USING whatever circumstances are in your life to MOLD you into the image of Christ. God does work "all things together for good" to them who are truly saved (Romans 8:28). If we are suffering from our own sin - it is REPROOF from God. If we are suffering due to world circumstances, God is using it to help us grow in Christ.
And, above all, know that God's GRACE is sufficient for you! Grace can be explained by the acrostic:
God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
Because we have Christ, we have access to God's "throne of grace" where we find "mercy and grace to help" (Hebrews 4:16).
If God receives glory by removing the difficulty, He certainly shall.
If God receives glory by keeping us IN the difficulty, let us learn to grow.
But in all things, let God receive the glory!
Love ya,
Bruce