Trust in God during your trials

All that goes on in this life is to test our trust in God, and cause us to trust in God if we are a believer.

What especially will do that? Trials, afflictions, sorrows, persecutions. It is in the midst of these that our faith is challenged.

Our normal human response would be something like this:
"Why am I going through this? Has God forsaken me? Am I in the midst of terrible sin?"

The apostle Paul reveals that we ought to understand our sufferings in a very different way when he writes:
2 Corinthians 1:8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

The point of Paul's suffering was not that God had forsaken him or that he was being punished for sin, but so that he would trust in God and not in himself.

This is also what he means by these verses later in the same epistle:
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

In his weakness, not trusting in himself, he found strength in grace, the power of Christ, that comes by trusting in God through Jesus Christ. So, once again, Paul's suffering was not due to God's forsaking of him or a punishment of sin, but a demonstration of the benefits of trusting in God through Jesus Christ.

The next time you are called to suffer, do not take it as a sign of God's departure from you, or that God is punishing you for your sins. If you believe, your sins were punished on the cross. God's purpose in this suffering is that you would learn to trust in Him even more than you do now or did before the suffering came.

By grace through faith

The way God saves never changes: Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Salvation has a past component: 'the Lord saved me on such a such a date'
Salvation has a present component: you are being saved by the Lord
Salvation has a future component: those that confess Jesus and believe in their heart shall be saved
He that believes and is baptized shall be saved....

In all of this, salvation is by grace through faith. It is never due to our works at any time. As Christians, we shall have works, yet those works are never saving us, nor should they ever be purposed to obtain God's favour, but instead, in true faith, are and only should be because God is saving us as a gift, and because we already have and will forever have the favour of God.

A gift is never earned, and when a gift is received, you do not turn around to pay the person who gave it to you. Then it would no longer be a gift.

God gave the gift by grace because you and I could never do enough works to earn the gift, and because all we could do would only and ever earn eternal death and damnation.

Praise God for His wonderful gift of grace.

Bible giveaway

Logos/Libronix, a great Bible software company, is giving away Bibles. For more information, go to http://bible.logos.com/content/giveaway#content=giveaway

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Identifying with Christ in a world full of idolatry

Is there something you could be threatened with that would cause you to recant (turn away from) your faith in Jesus Christ? Loss of job, home, ability to work and earn a living, health, friends, social standing, or your life? Where would you draw the line? Would you be willing to give up all these things rather than give up your faith in Jesus Christ?

This is the ultimate test isn't it. Yet, this is what Jesus Christ expects of His people should that test be presented to them. It was something the church at Smyrna would have to endure. Rev. 2:8-11 Yet, it was not only expected of them, but is expected of all God's people. Those of us in North America do not fully comprehend this. We may mouth the words, but I do not believe we can truly relate to what our brothers and sisters are enduring in other lands.

Sermon audio news reported that a woman was executed for distributing the Bible in North Korea. Would you be willing to die for passing the Bible out? Those who endure persecution to death for Christ's sake receive the crown of life rather than being faced with the second death.

Sometimes, to spur us on, God speaks about the worse punishment to help His people measure the punishment that this world threatens with. The punishment this world threatens with is the first death. The punishment God promises to those who do not confess Christ is the second death. Jesus Himself says He will deny those before His Father who denied Him before men.

Do not deny Him, but confess Him to the world regardless of the cost in this life. The prize of eternal life is worth more than anything that this world has to offer, including your own life.