How do you respond when things don't go as expected? What is your plan when all of your plans fall through? When the Trials of life come creeping to your doorstep, what is your response? James says to count it all joy when we go through trials of various kinds.
Paul says "More than that, 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." (Romans 5:3-5)
Jesus says "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The fact is, beloved believer, we were never meant to go through such trials, but we live in a broken, fallen and rebellious world. Broken things happen to us, fallen and rebellious people do broken things to one another. How should we respond? What is our hope this side of heaven? Both spiritually, and within our lives practically it is Jesus. Spiritually, because Jesus has overcome, and only He can save. Practically, because if the spiritual aspect is true (which it is), then this world is passing away, and I have Christ to look forward to. So I take my trials with Christ guiding me, and I press on toward Him. My hope lies in Him, my peace and rest are because of Him. I will face trials. I will have troubles. but I will be of good cheer, for He has overcome the world. Romans 5:1-11 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but 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.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
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