By Marni Montanez
John 16:33 New Living Translation
33. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Our world has many woes. It is made up of self serving humans who strive to get ahead and have their way. Christians are just as guilty of this attitude and yet we point our fingers at those in the world who do this. We are part of this world and until we look inward and see our contribution to the destruction of earth and of the generations, we will be part of the problem and not the solution. The bible is very clear about us being different from the world. These trials and sorrows we encounter are always with a purpose. Usually the purpose is to grow us up so that we can step into the position God designed for us in the Kingdom of God while we are on earth.
Romans 12:2 (ISV)
2. Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.
God does not make empty promises and here, He is promising to move us through the difficult and oppressive times; and that even when we have fallen or feel defeated, He will arise on our behalf and strengthen us. We must focus on God. David struggled many times with depression and fear……….but he knew where to look in order to have victory. He remembered God’s goodness and all the times God helped Him through hard times.
Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)
13. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
We must use our memory for the purpose of reminding ourselves of God’s goodness toward us in the past. God wants our minds fully focused on Him; that is where we will find clarity to stand resilient in the face of trouble.
Colossians 3:2 (ISV)
2. Keep your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
Challenge: Do not focus on the trials and sorrows: they will come. But what we need to receive is the strength, faith and grace to get through each one.
God Bless
Marni
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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.