My last post mentioned examples in the bible about what comes around goes around, but when I wrote that, my objective was to assure you that God will one day take care of the wicked. I certainly didn’t mean that every bad thing that happens in life is because of a wrong we committed. We see this clearly in the scriptures; in the book of Job, the prophets of the old testament and the life and adventures of the apostles who preached the Word of God. If that doesn’t convince you, look at what Jesus went through. He committed no sin, but took the punishment we all deserved.
Why to bad things happen?
We live in a fallen world
Maybe there is no reason – Abel’s death- because his brother was jealous of him
They were too good for this world – Proverbs ( when the young die)
Maybe its a test- remember David and the census
To save your soul… think about that
There is an unseen army against us – Eph 6, travels of Paul, Job
So we know how to comfort others (2 Cor 1) – training
King Solomon said sorrow is better than laughter , which is initially difficult to understand at the time, but it is in those deep dark times that we are often drawn in closer to the Lord- these moments/ hardships can make us better or bitter.
It’s true that we reap what we sow, which I fully had scripture to back up in my last post, but I don’t think that every wrong, trouble and problem that hits a follower of Christ is a payback. We see this truth in scripture as well.
Consider the trials of the apostles : (1 Cor 4)
“Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.
God comforts us is those times, and in turn we know how to comfort others. I think the verse below is amazing: (2 Cor 1)
” Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies and Comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort others who are in trouble“
I wanted to share some great scripture and truths from 2 Corinthians 1. Here are some things that jumped out at me today from this chapter:
-He comforts us
-He delivers us – He delivers us now and will deliver us in the future
-He raises us up
-He establishes us together in Christ
-He anoints us
-He seals us
-He gives us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee
These promises and all the promises of God are YES AND AMEN in Christ Jesus.
I loved every word of this chapter today, spend time reading, thinking and meditating on this chapter 2 Cor 1
King Solomon told us there is a time for everything, a time to build up, a time to tear down, a time to mourn , a time to rejoice….. Have hope in the Lord, He will get you through and as Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He has you in His hands, He will guide you, lift you up and He will comfort you.
Romans 5 tells us to rejoice in our trials, and also that it is a step in our growth process to holiness, consider the verse “ we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Trials produce endurance in us
This endurance produces character
This character produces hope
This hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured in our hearts by the Holy Spirit
Promises for you:
Psalm 91
Alphabet of God’s Promises in Psalms
Benefits and Promises of reading God’s Word
God’s Wisdom, Promises and Gifts stored for you
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8
Ancient Paths 