Thoughts for Life: Hard Places In The Way of Faith

A. B. Simpson- Trial is the fruitful soil of trust. Difficulties are the divine incentives which demand and develop our confidence in the divine faithfulness and love. It is so easy for us to lean upon the things that we can see and feel that it is an entirely new experience for us to stand alone and walk with the unseen God as Peter walked upon the sea.

But it is the lesson we must learn if we are ever to dwell in the eternal realm, and faith shall be our only sense and God shall be our ALL in all. Very gently does He suit the test to our feeble strength, and lead us on as we are able from more to more. (Google image, man kneeling in prayer

Hard places teach us to pray and constrain us to be much alone with God. They drove Jacob to his knees at the fords of Jabbok (Gen 32:22-32). They taught David to find "the secret place of the Most High" (Ps. 91:1).

They made the life of Paul one of ceaseless dependence upon the presence of his Lord, and they have inspired as well as sustained the divine communion which most of us have learned to prove as the supreme resource and solution of our lives.

It is very humbling that it should be true that God must press His children to His breast by suffering and need. But it is, alas, too often the case that ease and comfort lead us to at least partial independence of Him.

Hard places teach us to love. When God wants to soften and refine our spirit and answer our prayers for a baptism of patience and love, He has to let the discipline of ill treatment, injustice and often the severest wrong compel us to go to Him for the charity that "beareth all things," that "endureth all things." Of course, we find out first that we have not the love adequate for the test.

As the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins He leads us to the source of strength. then as we gradually learn the humbling lesson He leads us on from day to day in deeper testing and sweeter refining until we can thank Him for the fire that brought us more of His Spirit's grace and His own overcoming love.

Hard places teach us patience. Patience is the crowning grace of the Christian life, and when it has its perfect work then we become "perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (Jas. 1:4). Often, therefore, the latest and the crowning lesson of the spiritual life is in he school of suffering.

Hard places teach us courage. They take away the fear of suffering the dread of pain, and enable us to put on His strength and courage, and rise above the power of fear until we welcome the conflict, and stand with scars of the conflict and victory as good soldiers on Christ.

Hard places make us patterns and object lessons for the help of others and for the glory of God, showing to the world what Christ can do for His children, and what Christ-lives may accomplish where others fail. God wants us to be a spectacle to angels and to men, showing to them in our example that Christ can keep in every situation, and that the power of His grace is practical, supernatural and adapted to every human life.

Hard places make Christ real, just as real as the trouble is. They are the heavenly stamps by which God's messages and God's communications of grace and blessing are embossed and made to stand out in relief from our lives.

Hard places win for us eternal crowns. They become occasions for victory and reward. The soldier of Christ is winning a record and a crown which will never pass away.

Taken from Herald of His Coming Feb. 2019

501-505 one-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

501- Ps. 17:5 "Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not."

502- Ps. 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

503- Jer. 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"

504- Phil. 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

505- Ps. 86:3 "Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily."

Let's pray-

Father, may we understand that divine incentives sometimes demand and develop our confidence in Your divine faithfulness and love for us. Leaning upon things that we can see and feel is what we've always experienced, so walking on the water like Peter did, is a new thought entirely.

Thankfully, You gently suit the tests for each of us to learn that if we're to ever dwell in the eternal realm, faith will have to be our only sense and You will become our ALL in all. The Apostle Paul learned complete dependence upon the presence of Jesus, which has inspired us to prove Him the supreme resource and solution of our lives.

It's very humbling to learn that You must press us to Your breast through suffering, for it is too often the case that ease and comfort lead us to only a partial dependence upon You.

You soften and refine our spirits and answer our prayers for patience and love through the discipline of ill treatment and injustice, often from the severest wrong, which compels us to come to You for grace to bear up under these trials.

As we learn what Christ can do for us, we can then become a spectacle to other believers and even angels, showing what Christ can do for us. Our lives become Your messages and communicators of grace and blessing as examples to others.

Eternal rewards are planned for those who will have victory over the devil and his angels, with rewards awaiting us which will never pass away. We are looking for that Day of recompense, as we anticipate Your pleasure in our lives lived for Jesus, to His honor.

Our Ambassador to Israel, Michael David Evens' comments:

"When we are surrounded by trouble, God is still there, There is no reason for us to lose heart when we have all the power of Heaven available to deliver us." [Michael Evens]

". . . Speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed . . . for behold, I have made you this day a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against you. But they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you," says the LORD, to deliver you." (Jeremiah 1:17-19).

Quote for today-

~ Dane Ortlund- The priest was the bridge between God and humanity. He reconnected heaven and earth. Jesus did this supremely through his climactic and final sacrifice of himself, purifying his people once and for all, cleansing them of their sins. It was the joyous anticipation of seeing his people made invincibly clean that sent him through his arrest, death, burial, and resurrection. When we today partake of that atoning work, coming to Christ for forgiveness, communing with him despite our sinfulness, we are laying hold of Christ's own deepest long and joy. [p. 40, of GENTLE and LOWLY].

Words of wisdom-

~ Have you found it true that good friends stick together? No matter what happens, they seem to weather life together. Connecting as friends helps us get through the tough times, as we support one another with encouragement and the help needed.

Upcoming posts

#3 Making Prayer A Priority

8th- Tuesday's post by James Banks

#4 Be Specific

10th- Thursday's post by James Banks

Once Again

12th- Saturday's post by Unknown Author

#5 Bless Others

15th- Tuesday's post by Cindy Hess Kasper

The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,

located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,

broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15