2 Cor 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
reproaches, necessities, persecution and distress for Christ’s sake…”
In Ch. 12 Paul recounts his experience with Heaven and is
able to encourage us, that even among the infirmities in life there is a
pleasure to be revealed in our faith. Three reason why Christians should take
pleasure in adversity.
1. No
heartache – No heaven (vss 1-5). Paul reminds us that our
past and present distresses serve to remind us this is not our promise and to
focus on our future destination. Don’t hold to the hurt, your help is in heaven.
2. No
hurting-No humility (vs 6-7). Moses said in Deut 8:2-3 “thou
shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in
the wilderness, to humble thee and prove thee…” No humility no access to
God, if we can find humility in our adversity it leads to the presence of God,
and with it His strength.
3. No
pain-No power (vs 8-10). Moses said in Deut 8:16-18 “Who
fed thee in the wilderness with mana, … And thou say in thine heart, My power
and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember
the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth the power to get wealth.” In God’s
eternal world things get done by the Spirit or they do not get done at all. If
you want to accomplish things in the flesh, you will get fleshly results, not
Godly results!
No grief – no glory… Acts 14:22 “…we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
God reminds us every day through nature that nothing temporal lasts. He clothes
the trees with leaves, only to strip them off within a few months, and ever
sunrise must have a sunset.
We can never have a new thing without the parting of the old…
HSAY
No comments:
Post a Comment