Just to update, some of you were asking...Porter and Aiden are doing just fine today, only one mention of bunnies getting eaten, no more red hair, so we are recovering from the disturbing day yesterday. :)
On to a completely different subject now...
I've been reading the book of Hebrews lately, I've been stuck on chapter 12, and just thought I'd share with you what I've been thinking.
Rom. 12:7-11 is the specific passage here, but I want to focus on verse 7: "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons [daughters]."
I don't know about you, but recently it seems like God is building endurance in me. Endurance is the ability to carry on and withstand despite hardship or suffering. I'm not exactly suffering over here, but I do feel like I am going through some "hard times" in certain areas of my life right now. As much as reading that verse above makes it seem like I'm just getting punished, or disciplined for something because I have been bad, but I read that verse and it is totally encouraging to me. You probably think I am crazy...let me explain myself.
God is more concerned with our character, what is in side us, our hearts, trust and dependence on Him than he is our outward actions (Ps. 51:17). Knowing this, when I am facing hard times I know it is because God is trying to do a deeper work inside me. He is working on my endurance, he is working on my ability to find peace and trust in Him to see his goodness, rather than in my ability to do "good things" or have an easy life.
When I am faced with hard times this verse is completely encouraging to me because here, God is calling me His daughter! There is no greater honor than to be called a princess of the King of Kings, there is no greater privilege than to be in Christ's bloodline (because he paid for it with His blood). So when I am faced with hard times, I can have faith and trust that he is building the character in me to be able to be called his daughter. He is disciplining me so that I can be more like Him, be more like my Father! God calls us to endure the hardship because he is going to take care of us, and he is the ultimate Father who knows how to give good gifts, and what we need (Luke 11); He is just working on our hearts and attitudes and shaping us to be more like Him, the proud Papa! If He didn't discipline us than we wouldn't be true sons or daughters, we would be illegitimate, He does it for our good, that we may share in his holiness (vs. 8-10)
So in the midst of a hardship, hold on, press in and have faith...be encouraged because it means that God really cares about you, not the opposite...He IS working, He IS hearing your prayers, He is just doing what He needs to do to get us closer to Him.
Do you see hard times as your excuse to lose faith and run from God, or do you see it as His way of showing He cares and is involved in your life?
2 comments:
AMEN Amy. In my hardest of hard times, my Father has always been faithful. It wasn't always easy or fun, but I always knew that he loves me and will take care or me.
It always helped me see his involvement in my life.
Nice post! That really encourages me! It gives me peace to know our heavenly Father's intentions are only to ground us in him and increase our faith. I think to, he wants us to remember our provisions come from him and not in our own strength. Yay, I subscribed to your blogs the other day and I thought I wasn't getting them at first, but found out they were going to my spam mail.. I think it's fixed.
Flo
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