1 Thessalonians 3:2-4 - We sent Timothy, who is
our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to
strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be
unsettled by these trials. You know
quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were
with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out
that way, as you well know.
Paul was imprisoned…but he never stopped encouraging others. When he could not come personally ….he sent
his close companions to check on the new Christians here in Thessalonica. It gave him great comfort and joy to see that
they were growing in the faith all on their own….letting each trial make them
even stronger than before.
Paul reminds us all that trials are a part of the Christian
life. They are in fact a part of the plan God has for us. They build character…train
us in the skills we need to have empathy and to be sensitive to others. They also
teach us patience and trust in God’s timing.
I admit that I am guilty of praying for my trials to be easy…but
I see how asking for easy doesn’t really help my growth at all. Since it is a
given that God has a new trial planned for me in the future…my prayer should be
that He give me the wisdom and knowledge and trust in Him to hold His hand the
whole time…so I can make it through it.
Father…thank you for the reminder that being your child
sometimes requires hard times and lessons in faith. Forgive me for the times
that I take for granted the easiness of my life…and fail to thank you for the
calm between storms. Help me to grow in faith and strength so that when you
allow the next trial I will be ready to trust you completely till it is
through. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment