Hi Friends,
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:2) I praise God for all the work He is doing in your lives and trust this post finds you well. To give you a brief update would be difficult, so instead I've tempted to summarize the lesson God is teaching me.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6, emphasis added)
In all of life's circumstances we are to trust the Lord. From our perspective things look much different, than from His. We only see a small part, while He sees the full picture clearly. Proverbs says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, not just some or almost all but with all your heart! And not to rely on the small part you see, "lean not on your own understanding." This is so difficult, especially when we are in the mist of a trials. We want to complain and cry out "Lord! Why are You doing this!? Don't you see my pain! I can't take much more, this hurts! Make it stop! Please!"
Yet, James 1:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything." Trials are to be thought of as a joy or something to be thankful for. We thank God because the testing of our faith develops perseverance. These, both the trial and persevering, are tools God uses to make us more like Christ, "mature and complete, not lacking in anything."
Romans 5:3-5 tells us "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering because we know that suffering produces perseverance (there's that word again); perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Our hope should not be in the ending of our trial, some future event or in anything this world offers. But all of our hope, all of our investments, should be in the eternal Kingdom. If we put our hope in the things of this world, it will fade when the world does. Yet, God has promised something more for us, He promised eternity with Him in glory, an eternal inheritance, which we did not earn, and to carry us through difficult times. How much better could it get!?
It really doesn't.
In the end, God is teaching me, to persevere, choose joy, and to keep an eternal perspective. I am thankful for all He is doing in my life and am very blessed to have so many praying for me. If you are one of those, thank you; I cannot tell you what it means to know that you are praying. May "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)
New Lessons, New Name, New Post.
Your Friend,
Bekah Turbeville
