June 30, 2015 RESPONDING TO TRIALS
John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage: I have overcome world.”
John 16:22: “therefore you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.”
It is crucial that our expectations be realistic and based on the truth of scripture. It is a fact that we will face trials in life, but if I am expecting a life free of trials, I will be greatly disturbed and defeated when trials come. Also, if I have unhealthy expectations of others, I will surely be disappointed. Someone has said that: “If you have no expectations, surely you will not be disappointed.” There is an element of truth in that statement, but it is certainly not wrong to have healthy expectations. Jesus certainly faced trials, and He has given us notice that we will also have trials in this world; so it’s a helpful for us just to know that trials are on the agenda! How we respond to trials is the paramount issue. Jesus told His followers to “take courage: I have overcome the world.” It does indeed take courage to face the face; and He will give us the courage we need-but we must “take” courage. It is clear from this scripture and other scriptures that Jesus is saying that we too can overcome the world- great news for us! Do trials defeat us, or take the breath out of us; or do we overcome the trial? Being an overcomer of trials does not mean that we don’t feel the pain and hurt; but it does mean that we are not defeated or deterred by the trials. We can overcome trials because we are in Him and He is in us-letting His life in us be our life. To overcome trials, and the world in general, requires a super-natural power, and that power is available to us through the Holy Spirit. God uses trials to produce in us what could not be produced without the trials. Endurance, patience, and trust are learned in the midst of trials. In 1 Peter 4:12 we read: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” How we respond to the trial-how we overcome the trial-can be a testimony of God’s grace and power at work in us. As I have commented in previous blogs; some trials are of our own making, some are beyond our control and some trials come because of our obedience to Christ. If the trial we face is the result of our bad choices, even then we can learn the lesson that God would teach us. If the trial is a consequence of personal sin, then repentance is called for and again, we can learn what God is teaching. As the above verse states, we will have sorrow, but we can know that sorrow is temporary. Jesus told His followers that their sorrow would be turned to joy when they saw Him again-evidently, Jesus was referring to His appearing to His followers after His resurrection. There will come a day when we also will see Him face to face; but because He lives in us, we can see Him now with our spiritual eyes and our heart can be filled with joy. When the trials come, remember that just as Jesus overcame the trials- so can we- because He lives in us filling our hearts with joy.
Blessings,
Buddy
John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage: I have overcome world.”
John 16:22: “therefore you too now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.”
It is crucial that our expectations be realistic and based on the truth of scripture. It is a fact that we will face trials in life, but if I am expecting a life free of trials, I will be greatly disturbed and defeated when trials come. Also, if I have unhealthy expectations of others, I will surely be disappointed. Someone has said that: “If you have no expectations, surely you will not be disappointed.” There is an element of truth in that statement, but it is certainly not wrong to have healthy expectations. Jesus certainly faced trials, and He has given us notice that we will also have trials in this world; so it’s a helpful for us just to know that trials are on the agenda! How we respond to trials is the paramount issue. Jesus told His followers to “take courage: I have overcome the world.” It does indeed take courage to face the face; and He will give us the courage we need-but we must “take” courage. It is clear from this scripture and other scriptures that Jesus is saying that we too can overcome the world- great news for us! Do trials defeat us, or take the breath out of us; or do we overcome the trial? Being an overcomer of trials does not mean that we don’t feel the pain and hurt; but it does mean that we are not defeated or deterred by the trials. We can overcome trials because we are in Him and He is in us-letting His life in us be our life. To overcome trials, and the world in general, requires a super-natural power, and that power is available to us through the Holy Spirit. God uses trials to produce in us what could not be produced without the trials. Endurance, patience, and trust are learned in the midst of trials. In 1 Peter 4:12 we read: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” How we respond to the trial-how we overcome the trial-can be a testimony of God’s grace and power at work in us. As I have commented in previous blogs; some trials are of our own making, some are beyond our control and some trials come because of our obedience to Christ. If the trial we face is the result of our bad choices, even then we can learn the lesson that God would teach us. If the trial is a consequence of personal sin, then repentance is called for and again, we can learn what God is teaching. As the above verse states, we will have sorrow, but we can know that sorrow is temporary. Jesus told His followers that their sorrow would be turned to joy when they saw Him again-evidently, Jesus was referring to His appearing to His followers after His resurrection. There will come a day when we also will see Him face to face; but because He lives in us, we can see Him now with our spiritual eyes and our heart can be filled with joy. When the trials come, remember that just as Jesus overcame the trials- so can we- because He lives in us filling our hearts with joy.
Blessings,
Buddy
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