GRACE

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Grace … God’s “special favor” … “a gift from God.”

As the calendar turns and we enter the final month of the year, if they are not already, our thoughts turn to Christmas. It is that season of giving gifts. Enjoy yourself … express your love for one another, in the exchanging of gifts, cards, meals, parties, stories out of tradition and times of worship.

The greatest expression of love is found in the gift of God’s grace. In Christmas … in all our seasonal activity … let us not lose focus on God’s gift. He sent His Son as a baby born in a manger to a virgin girl named Mary. His angel instructed the earthly father, Joseph, to call Him Immanuel, God with us. The heavenly host sang “glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men” – (Luke 2:14).

Grace … God’s “special favor” … “a gift from God.”

Prayer Request: Christmas will be a difficult time this year for the many evacuees from the hurricanes. Pray for them and pray for God to lead you to “…the good things he planned…” for you to do for them.

THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME

“Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me.”
 
John 16:12-15
 
On the day of Pentecost, which took place seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the promised Holy Spirit came (Acts 2). The believers present in Jerusalem when He came were filled by the Holy Spirit and spoke in languages, other than the own, as a sign to those from many different lands that God was present. They were amazed when they heard the truth of the gospel in their native language. Peter preached and many – about three thousand – believed.
 
Ever since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been at work in believers, guiding them, “into all truth.”  Yes, there are still occasions of miraculous signs and wonders. As in the days of the early church, there are some for whom an amazing event is necessary for them to believe the truth. I observe and I think that many however, just open their hearts to the Holy Spirit, receive His filling, and are guided, “into all truth.” Jesus didn’t say the Holy Spirit will come and perform signs and wonders. He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
 
Have you heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you allowing the present Holy Spirit to work in you, “revealing to you whatever he receives from me” - (Jesus)?

PRAYER SIGNALS

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God’s secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. I am in chains now for preaching this message as God’s ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
 
Ephesians 6:18-20
 
Ambulance sirens … flashing emergency lights … tornado horns … news bulletins … even emails. All these can be signals to pray. If your phone does not normally ring at 2:00 a.m., that disturbing wake-up can be a signal to pray. You may have others that are unique to your family, work or play.
 
The Apostle Paul encourages us to “Pray at all times and on every occasion…”  Whenever you receive one of your prayer signals, whisper a word to the LORD, even if you don’t know the details of the situation. That’s why Paul finishes his call to pray with the phrase “in the power of the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit will properly lead you to utter the right words when you surrender your prayer to His power.
 
Let the Holy Spirit to be one of your prayer signals. No lights or sirens, just that feeling deep inside that you need to pray. Do not quench the Spirit. “Stay alert…” Respond to that feeling in your gut and pray!

ALWAYS BE THANKFUL

Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
 
1st Thessalonians 5:16-18
 
Thanksgiving Day is over. The meal has been devoured. The traditional football games (Dallas and Detroit lost) are over. Families are returning home or preparing to jump into the shopping mall madness. Do you think its OK now to stop being thankful?
 
The Apostle Paul says no. We are to “… always be thankful…”  When our team loses (or has a whole losing season), when the traffic is bad, when there are no good parking spaces at the mall and the shoppers are not courteous, “… always be thankful…”

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
 
Philippians 4:6-7
 
Take time during this Thanksgiving holiday break to count your blessings. What has the LORD done for you? When we take an inventory (not just take God’s every day blessings for granted), we find much that we have to be thankful for.
 
As you take your inventory, pay close attention to what the blessing is in those circumstances which you find it difficult to be thankful. Yes, all things do work together for the good of the believer. Sometimes it’s hard to see but it’s there.

WORKING WITH A PURPOSE

You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.
 
Colossians 3:22-25
 
The terminology of the time and culture was slaves and masters. Every time I run across this in scripture, I have to consciously remind myself that slavery of Bible days was not the same cruel vehicle that infected the United States in the 1600-1800s. I have to relate these relationships to the employee/employer relationships of today. When I do that, I am able to hear what God is saying to me without the distraction of the evils of modern society. Satan would want me to miss the point.
 
Whatever our work or profession, we are to use our God given skills to the best of our ability. We are to set it in our hearts to perform at the top of our game. Giving our best brings honor to the LORD and for that there will be a reward. The purpose of our hard and cheerful work ethic is not to gain the reward but rather to reflect glory on the God who gives us our abilities. We can trust God for the promise of our inheritance.

THE SHALLOW THINGS

“A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. The student shares the teacher’s fate. The servant shares the master’s fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household! But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public.
 
Matthew 10:24-26
 
Oswald Chambers’ challenges us today regarding the shallow things vs. the profound things. John the Baptist said, “…after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry…” – Matthew 3:11. You can’t get much shallower than that.
 
Does our pride get in the way when menial tasks, shallow things, are required to carry out God’s plan? I can lead the song service but when it’s time to clean up after the meal, it’s time for me to get to the next thing on my important schedule. I can teach the lesson but where am I when it’s time to take out the trash? I know the Roman Road, I can lead a person through the plan of salvation, but when it comes to arranging the tables and chairs, someone else can do that.
 
Are we too proud for the shallow things or is our testimony, “I would be honored to carry the Master’s sandals”?

Habitat for Humanity - Metro Jackson News Flash

Each year, Gail Pittman designs a Christmas Ornament based on the home front of a new Habitat for Humanity home built in Jackson, MS. The proceeds from the sale of these ornaments support the building of another new home, another step along the journey to eliminate poverty housing. Give a gift that really keeps on giving!

Gail Pittman Christmas Ornament

FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS

Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.
 
1st Corinthians 12:4-7
 
Let us do introspection today. Let’s look in the mirror and see what answers we get based on the Apostle Paul’s statement to the early church.
 
What is your spiritual gift? What gift has the Holy Spirit given you?
 
What kinds of service is your church providing? Are those services bringing honor and glory to the LORD (or to the church; to some individual; to you)?
 
How is God working in your life? What work is God doing in the lives of others through you?
 
What spiritual gift are you using, service you are giving, work you are performing to benefit the entire church?
 
One more level I want to take this introspection.  1st Corinthians 12:7 says, “…helping the entire church.” Don’t think of the church as the building where you go on Sunday but rather the Body of Christ. Think of it as all the saints … believers everywhere. How do you use your spiritual gift in Kingdom Building? What are you doing which effects the Body of Christ … the church universal?
 
After you have completed your introspection, this Thanksgiving week, pause to give God thanks for how He is using you to carry out His plan for His creation!

Mount Helm Missionary Baptist Church traces its origins to 1835 at First Baptist Church of Jackson, where the first members, who were enslaved blacks, met in the basement while white slave owners worshiped in the sanctuary upstairs.

For the complete story about Mount Helm's 170th Anniversary celebration, click on:

Mount Helm

My grandfather is one of the former pastors of Mount Helm.

MOUNTAIN INTO THE SEA

Then Jesus told them, “I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
 
Matthew 21:21-22
 
If you have ever had the opportunity to drive through the mountains, you may have been as awestruck as I have been. The Rocky Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Smoky Mountains are magnificent. I never could imagine the need to have them tossed into the sea.
 
What about those mountains in our lives? Is there a mountain of loneliness, low self esteem, bitterness, anger, or hate? What about a mountain of sin or unforgiveness of self or others? Is there a mountain of stress on your job or maybe even in your home? Marital problems, kids in trouble, financial woes, unemployment – the list goes on and on of potential mountains. Maybe you are in a season of grief and the weight of that grief feels like a mountain on your shoulders.
 
Jesus says by faith you can ask God to move that mountain and cast it into the sea. “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

THE PRAYER OF FAITH

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.
 
James 1:5-8
 
Note from yesterday’s thought that James continues to speak of wisdom in terms of action, “…know what God wants you to do…”, rather than intelligence.
 
The prayer of faith is a prayer where complete confidence is placed in our loving and sovereign LORD. We are praying to the God who is omnipotent – He is able to do whatever we ask. He is omnipresent – He is present and involved in our circumstance. He is omniscient – He knows the outcome, the future. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the author and the finisher. His character is just – He will do no wrong. His character is love – He has done everything you need for all eternity. He has given you the Son.
 
You can pray in faith, knowing that the LORD will answer.

CONTRAST IN WISDOM

But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.
 
James 3:14-17
 
I don’t know about you but when I think about wisdom my mind usually goes toward some evaluation of intelligence. In the Apostle James epistle wisdom is related to character traits. Those whose character exhibits jealousy and selfishness are deemed unwise. Those with Godly wisdom exhibit the character traits of purity, gentleness, self sacrifice, peacemaker, equality and sincerity. They are “full of mercy and good deeds.”
 
When you look at wisdom in this way, good grades, college degrees, high IQ’s and super intelligence (none of which are bad in themselves), aren’t even a consideration. Wisdom is about your action, not about how you think.

THE MATURITY SCALE

You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.
 
Hebrews 5:12-14
 
As I make a personal inspection of where I am on the Christian maturity scale, there are two things I know for sure. First, looking back on my life I am confident that I have moved beyond milk. The second thing I am sure of is that I have not reached the maturity level which Oswald Chamber’s calls being “so totally surrendered to God that we are not even aware of being used by Him.”
 
Our goal, as saints, should be to be so totally committed, so totally surrendered, so totally dependant on God that when He is using us, it is not by our well thought out plan but rather by the Spirit-filled life we unconsciously live day after day. The more time we spend communing with God, through worship, prayer, study, devotion, meditation and praise, the more we will become available for unconscious service.

THOUGHTS ON ADOPTION

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family—calling him “Father, dear Father.” For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
 
Romans 8:14-17
 
What is your reaction when you learn that a person is adopted? Do you feel like an adopted child is on some different level than a natural child? You may have never consciously thought about it but in your subconscious is there an attitude of a second class relationship if an adoption is involved?
 
The grandfather in today’s devotion seems to have taken on the proper attitude. Listen to his words; “… as surely as my adopted grandson is now my own…” Let us be careful not to place a second class judgment on the relationship of adoptive parents and children.
 
As a believer, we would never place a second class attitude or judgment on our relationship with God, our heavenly Father. We are “adopted into his family.” We are His children, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, and with our fellow believers in the Body of Christ. We are heirs to all the promises God has given His children. Eternal life is ours … eternity with Jesus is our future. We are “God’s very own children.”

SOME THINGS NEED REMEMBERING

I plan to keep on reminding you of these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth. Yes, I believe I should keep on reminding you of these things as long as I live. But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die. So I will work hard to make these things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone.
 
2nd Peter 1:12-15
 
On this Veteran’s Day, it is important to remember those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedom we have. They have laid down their lives for you and me. They have lost limbs or sustained other debilitating injuries. They have given up days, months, even years from their families so our families can enjoy each other.
 
Our prayer today is a prayer of thanksgiving for veterans, living and deceased, who have faithfully served our nation.

FULLY CONFIDENT

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.
 
2nd Corinthians 5:5-10
 
The lawyer who prepares well, gathering all the facts; studying all the case law; effectively deposing all the witnesses; can walk into court fully confident of the outcome of a trial. Yet, trials do not always go as planned and outcomes are not assured.
 
It is not like that for the believer. God has prepared believers for judgment day. He sent Jesus Christ to Calvary’s Cross to pay the penalty for our sin debt. As a reminder of the blessed assurance we have in Jesus, God has given us the Holy Spirit, the guarantor of His promise. That is why we can live each day pleasing Him, fully confident of the outcome on judgment day.
 
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story; this is my song –
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story; this is my song –
Praising my Savior all the day long.

By Fannie Crosby and Phoebe Knapp.

A BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
 
Galatians 5:22-26
 
That sweet, firm peach that you select at the grocery store did not start like that. It did not instantly appear in its final form. There was a period of growth and development, hanging from the branch of the tree. What started as the bud of the peach blossom had to experience some change before becoming the fruit we enjoy.
 
As infants, our character also required development. The same is true for our Christian character. The believer doesn’t instantly have mature fruits of the Spirit. Our love, joy, peace, etc. must develop. The Holy Spirit works on us in this process. I can remember my quick temper as a youth. While I still lose it on occasion, it is not like it used to be. The Holy Spirit is continually helping develop self-control.
 
As the Spirit works on your fruit, never forget how necessary it is to remain on the vine. Jesus said, ““Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5. Our development of a beautiful character is dependent upon the vine (Jesus) as the source and the one who tends the vineyard (the Holy Spirit) as the controlling helper.

KEEP WATCH

Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.
 
1st John 2:15-17
 
I woke up this morning with an irritation in my left eye. As hard as I tried, I could not find anything in the eye. I flushed it, over and over. I even had my wife look. She could not see anything there but I knew. I could feel the irritation. It took a trip to the ophthalmologist to find a tiny hair imbedded in the tissue of the eye. My eye is still irritated and very sensitive to light. (Note: This is why today’s Gospel Pearl is soooo late.)
 
God calls us to watch out for what we allow to control our senses. These senses, these windows to the body, are to be carefully guarded. The evils of the world will try to invade the temple of the Holy Spirit by way of our senses. What do we let come in through our eyes … the TV shows and movies we watch; the emails we read; the websites we surf; the catalogs we browse and greed through? What do we let come in through our ears … the music we listen to; the talk shows; the gossip on the telephone? What do we let come in through our mouth … the drink; the smoke; the drug?
 
My struggle today with my sight, this wonderful gift from God, reminds me that we should guard closely how we use His precious gifts. Keep watch and give God the glory!

Embracing Diversity

So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.
 
Galatians 3:26-29
 
There is something unique about confinement. I recently saw it when I visited the prison. In the devotion for today (Upper Room – 11/7/05) we hear about the same thing I observed in the prison. When we are forced to spend time together we find that deep down, we are not all that different. Those differences are even less apparent when we are filled with the Spirit of God and His love blows us over like “a mighty windstorm in the skies” – (Acts 2:2). Yes, by the way, there was diversity at Pentecost.
 
Have you ever heard a report from the believer returning from a mission trip? Same thing … when those who are different are embraced with the love of Jesus Christ, lives are forever changed. More often than not, it is the missionary who is most overwhelmed by the oneness of Spirit.
 
Why shouldn’t we embrace diversity in our every day lives, not just in prison ministry, nursing homes or on the mission field? The same Spirit is at work in our neighborhoods, our work places, our schools and our churches. If we would allow the Spirit to work in and through us, our differences will disappear within the family of God … the Body of Christ. “For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus” – Gal. 3:28.

TRUSTING GOD, NO MATTER WHAT!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality.
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with the finest wine.
 
Proverbs 3:5-10
 
No matter how tragic the circumstance or difficult the situation, the wisdom writer implores us to “Trust in the LORD…”  When something happens like the incident reviewed in today’s devo (electrocution during a baptismal service), our response is to question. What is God up to with this?
 
Dr. James Dobson, renowned Christian family counselor, authored the book “Holding on to your faith even … WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE”. In the book, Dr. Dobson encourages the believer to avoid “the betrayal barrier,” the sense that God is abandoning them amidst the storms of life. At the end of the first chapter he says, “Of this you can be certain: Jehovah, King of kings and Lord of lords, is not pacing the corridors of heaven in confusion over the problems in your life! He hung the worlds in space. He can handle the burdens that weighed you down, and he cares about you deeply. For a point of beginning He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).”
 
Faith is trusting God, no matter what!

LIVING YOUR CONVICTIONS

But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead. Now God had given the chief official great respect for Daniel.
 
Daniel 1:8-9
 
I love those old sayings, especially the ones which line up with God’s Word. How about this one?
 
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
 
Daniel knew that the One True God would not be pleased if he ate food which had been offered on the altar of idol gods. He knew The Law which had been given to Moses and ruled the Jewish religious practices. Daniel had head knowledge but taking the stand not to be defiled moved beyond knowledge. This was conviction. Daniel was fully committed to his faith, to his God. Daniel would not fall for the choicest meats and the finest wines because Daniel put God first.
 
Where will you have the opportunity today to make up your mind to live your faith convictions? I pray you will have the strength of Daniel. When you do, others around you will respect you, just as they did Daniel.  It may open the door for your sharing the reason for the faith that is in you.

HANGING WITH THE WRONG CROWD

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
 
Luke 19:1-4

What parent isn’t concerned about the friends their children choose to be with? What teenager hasn’t heard the warning from ‘over reacting’ parents to be careful about the crowd you hang out with? When we have the opportunity to minister in prison, we often deal with gang members and talk to them about the choice they make for associates, both inside and outside, will determine their future.
 
The crowd was blocking Zacchaeus from seeing Jesus. He made the decision to leave the crowd and go where he could get a better view.
 
Is there a crowd which blocks you from living the Christian life? Is it the buddies you hang with after work or on weekends? Is it the girlfriends you make those trips to the mall with? Do you have an all consuming crowd at work; at play; at home; or even at church which is keeping you from an intimate personal relationship with Jesus? He wants to call you out of the crowd and spend time with you.
 
Are you willing to take a close look at the crowd in your life and decide how you can better spend quality time (worship, study, meditation, praise, prayer) with Jesus?

Wrong View of Suffering and Tragedy

Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm…. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

1st Corinthians 11:24-27; 12:9-10

A question that we all probably have asked … Why do bad things happen to good people? When tragedy strikes, we just don’t understand. We may never get a full understanding but we can come into the knowledge that God is sovereign and God has a plan. The Apostle Paul got to that point. He understood that his suffering was for the purpose of the furtherance of Christ.

When trails and sufferings come, hold on to the confidence that God will use your faith in the trial for the good of the Kingdom. Trust that God is with you, keeping His promise to never leave you or forsake you. At your weakest moment, depend on the power of Christ (He has already won the victory) to carry you.