Our Daily Gospel 11/01/2014 Our Daily Prayer ......Dear GOD, although we are imperfect, we want You to use us still, because we will confess our sins to You and will seek Your Will. We will not compromise Your Words and not twist what You said, for blessing comes from faithfully proclaiming the truth. Though Your love GOD our heart will do what is good and right. Love is not blind but looks abroad through others eyes. Lord, let each of us look out not for our own interests, but for the interests of others. Although we have done some wickedness; now we will serve You with all our heart. We will not turn aside from following You, GOD. You are our Savior and our strength. We will look not back to yesterday --- full of failure and regret; but look ahead and seek Your Way Lord. You have given us Your Spirit, Lord; to help us grow, mature, and learn. To also teach us from Your written Word, so we can know the truth from any error. We ask You Father, to bless and keep us, the children, our family and friends as we go through the day and always. In You the Father, Your Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit name, AMEN. Our Daily Bread The Benefits of Salvation: Victory in Suffering Romans 5:3a Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings...Thoughts for Today:......In our passage today, the word suffering is translated from the Greek word thlipsis -- which means literally and figuratively: pressure or crushing. Its the same word used to describe the process of using heavy rocks to extract the oil from olives (or juice from grapes to make wine). ...... If we look at our passage from this perspective, Paul is telling us the crushing pressure we feel from difficult times (financial, health problems, etc.) will squeeze a positive benefit from our flesh. Therefore we should rejoice. Why? Because it is in difficult times we realize we can do nothing. ...... Speaking for myself, when Im in a bad predicament -- if I can find some way out, to grab a victory on the doorstep of defeat -- then I will try. My flesh will hold on until there is no hope. When I finally realize there is no way out, I cant do anything (the crushing rock is too big to lift), thats a true suffering. I am then precisely where God wants me to be. I believe when we run out of options it is because God wants us to run to Him. ...... Paul often was overwhelmed according to 2 Corinthians 1:8-9a: We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. Paul found the answer as he continues on in verse 9b: But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. The key here is that God wont necessarily change our predicament but rather our perspective -- Pauls focus came off his problems and was placed on the cross (...who raises the dead). When we do so, we realize God is all-powerful and completely in control -- its the real reason for rejoicing! ...... The fourth Benefit of Salvation is victory in suffering. Over the next several days Paul will explain how suffering is a cause to rejoice.Questions to Ponder: .....IIs God allowing a situation to squeeze your flesh right now? Are you still relying on yourself or have you finally surrendered to the Lord? There can be great victory in suffering as long as it points us back to the cross. Are you rejoicing or defeated? Where are your focus, hope and trust?============Pocket Testament League Earnest R. Stone The one who kneels to the LORD can stand up to anything. For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matt. 6:8)
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 11:53:12 +0000
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