Endure Hardship
2 TIMOTHY 2:3 NKJ
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ.
We are involved in a battle for the hearts and minds of people.
Our enemy, the devil, has forces arrayed against us.
But our Lord Jesus has defeated the devil and stripped him of
all authority. The Lord is our Helper and He has promised to
never leave us. But Jesus never promised that we would never
face opposition or persecution. In fact, He told us we would.
JOHN 16:33 NKJ
33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world."
2 TIMOTHY 3:12 NKJ
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution.
God is our Father and He is good. Therefore we can always
expect good to come from Him.
But Scripture also alerts us to the fact that on earth we are
in the midst of a struggle involving evil. While the ultimate
victory of Love is assured, people are still making decisions
which are not the best for all concerned. This can at times
result in us facing persecution, trouble, or hardship.
People make bad decisions because they are in spiritual
darkness. We are God's representatives to bring them Light.
So there will be times, in order to help others, that we will
need to endure things that are not pleasant for us.
God promises us ultimate victory (and even rewards for our
service for Him), so we need to always remain steadfast in our
faith, never wavering in our conviction that God is good and He
is working on our behalf -- no matter what we may be facing in
life.
God loves all people, even those who are causing us distress.
Yet most of those people have been blinded to the reality of
God's love for them.
God is not happy about you suffering, any more than He was
happy for His Son Jesus Christ to suffer on the cross.
But God is pleased when we, just like Jesus, willingly "endure"
without striking back when people do us wrong. Why? Because it
may be the only way for these people to see there is a reality
to God's love -- when they see it in you.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:3 NLT
3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of
our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen
and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved
not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
SAY THIS: In response to God's great love, I am willing to
endure hardness as a good soldier for my Lord Jesus Christ, in
order to help people.
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ.
We are involved in a battle for the hearts and minds of people.
Our enemy, the devil, has forces arrayed against us.
But our Lord Jesus has defeated the devil and stripped him of
all authority. The Lord is our Helper and He has promised to
never leave us. But Jesus never promised that we would never
face opposition or persecution. In fact, He told us we would.
JOHN 16:33 NKJ
33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world."
2 TIMOTHY 3:12 NKJ
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will
suffer persecution.
God is our Father and He is good. Therefore we can always
expect good to come from Him.
But Scripture also alerts us to the fact that on earth we are
in the midst of a struggle involving evil. While the ultimate
victory of Love is assured, people are still making decisions
which are not the best for all concerned. This can at times
result in us facing persecution, trouble, or hardship.
People make bad decisions because they are in spiritual
darkness. We are God's representatives to bring them Light.
So there will be times, in order to help others, that we will
need to endure things that are not pleasant for us.
God promises us ultimate victory (and even rewards for our
service for Him), so we need to always remain steadfast in our
faith, never wavering in our conviction that God is good and He
is working on our behalf -- no matter what we may be facing in
life.
God loves all people, even those who are causing us distress.
Yet most of those people have been blinded to the reality of
God's love for them.
God is not happy about you suffering, any more than He was
happy for His Son Jesus Christ to suffer on the cross.
But God is pleased when we, just like Jesus, willingly "endure"
without striking back when people do us wrong. Why? Because it
may be the only way for these people to see there is a reality
to God's love -- when they see it in you.
2 CORINTHIANS 3:3 NLT
3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of
our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen
and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved
not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
SAY THIS: In response to God's great love, I am willing to
endure hardness as a good soldier for my Lord Jesus Christ, in
order to help people.
posted by adevotion at 1:03 AM
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