Thursday, September 27, 2012

Two Truths for Coping with Suffering


A coincidence is an event in which a sovereign God chooses to remain anonymous.
Unknown

 

Two Truths for Coping with Suffering
by Charles R. Swindoll


I have found great help from two truths God gave me at a time in my life when I was bombarded with a series of unexpected and unfair blows (from my perspective). In my darkest hours, these principles become my anchor of stability, my only means of survival. Afflicted, confused, persecuted, and rejected in that situation, I claimed these two truths and held on to them like wild waves, strong winds, and pounding rain grabbing hold of the mast of a ship at sea. God took me through the consequences and kept me from becoming a bitter man.

Because they worked for me, I pass them on to you. At the risk of sounding simplistic, I would suggest that you not only write them down where you can read them often, but also that you might commit them to memory. The day will come when you will be thankful you did, I assure you. They have scriptural support, but I'll only list a couple of verses for the sake of brevity and clarity.

Here is the first truth to claim when enduring the consequences of suffering:nothing touches me that has not passed through the hands of my heavenly Father. Nothing. Whatever occurs, God has sovereignly surveyed and approved (Job 2:3–6). We may not know why (we may never know why), but we do know our pain is no accident to Him who guides our lives. He is, in no way, surprised by it all. Before it ever touches us, it passes through Him.

The second truth to claim is this: everything I endure is designed to prepare me for serving others more effectively. Everything. Because my heavenly Father is committed to shaping me into the image of His Son, He knows the ultimate value of this painful experience (2 Corinthians 1:3–7). It is a necessary part of the preparation process. It is being used to empty our hands of our own resources, our own sufficiency, and turn us back to Him—the faithful Provider.

And God knows what will get through to us.

 

 

Sid Stewart

Executive Director, Haven of Rest Ministries, Inc.


864 226-6193

How to End Well – Dr. Charles Stanley


“If you are a Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.” - Vance Havner

 

How to End Well – Dr. Charles Stanley


Many people think about the last years of life as an opportunity to just relax. But this does not align with God's purpose for us; He wants us to serve Him all the days of our lives.

Let's look at the apostle Paul's journey and explore what it means to finish well. He spent time pouring into others until the very end of his life. Consider the letters he wrote to Timothy from a prison cell prior to being executed. In every season of life, God calls us to serve others.

And notice how, when writing about his life, the apostle chose words descriptive of a battle. He understood the human struggle against sin as well as the challenges of pain and persecution in the trials we all face--even in doing kingdom work like preaching Christ to a fiercely resistant society.

This godly servant's life was also marked by surrender. His mindset is obvious in these words: "present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Rom. 12:1). He was not afraid of Nero, nor was he struggling to stay alive. Paul trusted God to determine everything about his life, including where he would go, what he would do, and when he would die. Death did not scare him, because he knew he would dwell with Jesus forever.

God doesn't require our lives to be perfect in order to finish strong. We can live life fully and be ready to meet our Maker by surrendering, walking victoriously with Christ, and serving others. If Jesus called you home today, would you--like Paul--be confident that you lived well until the end?

 

 

Sid Stewart

Executive Director, Haven of Rest Ministries, Inc.


864 226-6193

 

Morning Thoughts with Heather

As I sit here this morning getting ready for my day at work I find myself in great awe of our heavenly Father. He loves us all so much that He did what no other parent would do. He made the greatest sacrifice for me, for you, for all of us. He gave us His son's blood to atone for our sin. And what do we do with this precious gift?? We take advantage of it. We are ungrateful. We continue to sin. We ask for more because we are never content because we suffer from greed. Oh my Father and Lord, I am so sorry for my wicked heart. Please forgive me for being selfish, thoughtless, heartless, and so many other terrible fleshly ways. God I will honor you with my life! If you don't know Jesus Christ and do not have a personal relationship with Him, you are losing the best part of everything you could ever hope for!! Have a blessed day my friends!!

In Christ,
Heather

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Trust and Obey – Dr. Charles Stanley


Trust and Obey – Dr. Charles Stanley


One of my favorite songs is "Trust and Obey" because it sums up God's purpose for our lives. When we practice these two commands, a beautiful cycle begins. Trusting the Lord makes obedience easier, and obedience produces ever-increasing trust. Can you recall facing a challenge that was difficult or perplexing? If so, you know how important these two commands are.

When the Lord calls you to a task that seems unreasonable, you have two options. You can obey Him even though you don't understand what will happen, or you can become fearful and attempt to find a way out. Joshua chose the first option. Because he trusted the Lord, he disregarded all his military experience and adopted God's bizarre battle plan. Over the years, he had learned that the Lord is trustworthy.

The way we respond to God's challenging assignments reveals our level of commitment. We may feel as if we're right in step with Him--until He proposes a change of direction. That's when our resistance kicks in, and with it, the realization we aren't as close to Him as we thought. At that point, our decision determines whether the Lord will be able to use us as He desires. Because Joshua never lost his commitment, he continued to serve the Lord for the remainder of his life.

At times obedience is a struggle, as your mind runs through all the reasons God's path is illogical. Fear dominates and your will battles to comply when everything within is screaming to run the other way. But obedience is always the best choice, because the Lord is trustworthy and wise.

 
Sid Stewart

Executive Director, Haven of Rest Ministries, Inc.


864 226-6193