Somehow God always delivers JUST the message I need. I hope that this lesson from "Streams in the Desert" inspires and heals you just as much as it did me. God Bless!
October 6, 2011
What grace it requires when we are misunderstood yet handle it correctly, or when we are judged unkindly yet receive it in holy sweetness! Nothing tests our character more than having something evil said about us. This kind of grinding test is what exposes whether we are solid gold or simply gold-plated metal. If we could only see the blessings that lie hidden in our trials, we would say like David, when Shimei cursed him, "Let him curse... It may be that the Lord will repay me with good for the cursing I have received today" (2 Sam. 16-11-12)
Some Christians are easily turned away from the greatness of their life's calling by pursuing instead their own grievances and enemies. They ultimately turn their lives into one petty whirlwind of warfare. It reminds me of trying to deal with a a hornet's nest. You may be able to disperse the hornets, but you will probably be terribly stung and receive nothing for your pain, for even their honey has no value.
May God grant us more of the Spirit of Christ, who, "when they hurled their insults at him,...did not retaliate...Instead he trusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23). "Consider him who endures such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:3).
