ADVERSITY

What is the value of adversity in our lives?

God's Response:
Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies - so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influences on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4

By means of their suffering, [God] rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.
Job 36:15

Our Takeaway:
Although God wants us to enjoy what he has given us while we have the opportunity, we must also realize that adversity can strike at any time. Adversity reminds us that life is short, teaches us to live wisely, and refines our characters. We often learn more about God from difficult times than from easy times.

Do you try to avoid sorrow and suffering at all costs? The Holy Spirit can help you to see your struggles as great opportunities to learn from God.

God's Promise:
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
Isaiah 30:20

Big T's Thought To Ponder:
When we have unwanted adversity walk into our lives, we typically have a lot of questions: "Jesus, why are you allowing these impossible things into my life?" "Lord, why don't you remove this painful circumstance from my life?" "God, why are my prayers taking so long to be answered?" "Heavenly Father, why are difficult people allowed to reap havoc in my life?" And the biggy: "Heavenly Father, why is the devil still allowed to run-a-mock in my life and other lives around me?"

What I have come to realize is that life is tough, issues in all our lives are complex and complicated for many reasons. (1) We live in a fallen world with corruption and evilness lurking around most every corner; (2) We have been given free will to make decisions in our life and we are foulable and imperfect creatures; (3) There is a deceiver, discourager and liar who rules over the temporary world we live; he has many cronies walking the planet with him; their mission is simply to kill, destroy, counterfeit and bring chaos into our lives in order to steal souls through pleasurable deceptions.

My point is that there is no single answer to these questions of adversity, but there is one possibility that we don't often consider: Maybe God allows adversity in our lives to prepare us for a greater purpose... maybe He is conditioning us for future battles through life challenges, ones that remain unseen... and just maybe, all our trials, tribulations and adversities are allowed in order to draw us closer to Him, for dependency In Christ.

If you think about it, we have aways had adversity in our lives. Even as children we had adversity... Yeah maybe it was kid stuff back then, but when troubles came a calling I don't know about you, but I typically ran to my father - my daddy always kept me safe! A natural response when the bogeyman was hiding in your closet or when you had a major wipe-out on your Schwinn bicycle and a bad case of road-rash.

Maybe our crisis' and unbearable moments are allowed to drive us into God's presence, into the loving arms of the Savior Jesus Christ... To run to our Abba Father for the comforting answers to our most painful questions... To bring us peace in our most shaken circumstances... To be our strong tower and refuge when we find ourselves in the fearful storms of life, standing in sinking sand without a solid place to anchor in a world perishing and deteriorating.

Are our adversities be allowed to bring us to a place of Christ dependency in lieu of Self-sufficiency?

God will bring adversity into our lives and perhaps they are hovering right now. Will you allow them to overcome you, or will you run to your loving Father. Will they be your punishment? Or will they refresh you and show you His loving grace? The answer to our adversities may be less a matter of His intent than your response. It all depends on how you choose to see them.

Let the adversities of life drive you into God's presence; let them stir a passion in your heart to know Him more deeply and to worship Him more authentically. Do not flee from your adversities, let them linger long enough to see His mercy fall from heaven in the end.