Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, August 29, 2019

Audio Link: http://bit.ly/ThoughtsinWorship

Today’s Scripture Focus: Romans 5:3-5

We are focusing on sin recovery principle number 10 of 12: “We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”

God intrigues me. He has thousands of ways to provide for us that we scarcely even begin to understand. There are situations in life that, quite frankly, we should never have encountered. There are mistakes that we have made. There are problems that we have brought upon ourselves. There relationships in which we should never have been involved. Some consequences have come as a result of all of this, and yet when we go through the trials, if we are patient through the process, we seem to be better off than had we not gone through the trials. I know this is unreal, but it’s true.

Let’s use Jonah as an example. Here we have a man to whom God gave specific instructions. Not only did Jonah refuse to do what God said, but he went out of his way to do the exact opposite. God said go right, and Jonah went left. God said preach and Jonah kept silent. And along his journey, Jonah became a witness to men on the ship he should not have even boarded in the first place.

Let’s use Adam as another example. God created Adam and Eve in His image and likeness. God never intended for Adam and Eve to sin. God planned for them to live in perfect harmony with Him forever. But you know how the story goes: Eve was deceived into eating the fruit. Adam fell head over heels for Eve and joined her in her sin. Now all humanity has inherited the predisposition to sin. Paul teaches us that in the same way death came to all humankind by one man’s sin, so did life come by one man’s obedience. Adam sinned, and we naturally love death. The second Adam, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, and now those who have faith in Him can have eternal life. Jesus assumed human flesh, demonstrated how to be in full submission to God, gave His life in our place, rose from the grave victoriously, and now ministers in heaven on our behalf. As a result of all of this and more, we are closer to God than had we not sinned. That is a miracle. Does that mean that we should sin to get closer to God? No! God forbid. If we know better, and God has given us the power to do better, we must do better.

So what am I saying here? As we take a life inventory every day and recognize that many of the trials we encounter are self-imposed, we should be thankful that God has put a plan in place that converts our trials into opportunities for growth. These growth opportunities develop in us endurance, strength, and good character if we keep faith in God. This is a reason to rejoice! Every trial, including those that could have been avoided, can be used by God to ultimately draw us closer to Him.

The key is for us to be patient under tribulation and thankful for the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with love as we await the coming of Jesus Christ.—L. David Harris (http://bit.ly/BQuotable)

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