Cold in Wisconsin again today. I am breaking out the last of my fall coffee. This morning in the pot is Door County Maple. If it feels like fall I have to drink like fall.
For about the last 5 months I have been assigned to assist another hospital in our network of hospitals in Wisconsin. I work for the largest health network in Wisconsin and it affords us the luxury of using our talents in other settings from time to time. This assignment has me traveling North from my home once a week and every now and then a few more times. I travel Interstate 43 North out of Milwaukee. About half way to my destination there is a flashing sign that warns drivers with this statement. "Beware, Rough Roads Ahead, Next Ten Miles". This Wisconsin winter has been brutal to the roads here. Pot holes and huge roller coaster bumps decorate the highways. For some reason the stretch with the sign is really bad! As I traveled through it yesterday I thought how nice it would be if we knew how long the bumps of life would last when they happen. Sometimes it seems like the problems of life just don't seem to have an end. The job that never arrives, the teen that won't cooperate, the alcoholic spouse who won't quit drinking. When will it end?
When facing hardship we may think, "I just can't hold out." We may convince ourselves that, to expect someone to continue under our circumstances without sinning, would be expecting the impossible. So we may justify ourselves for disobeying God. But consider the Bible's teaching that we can endure.
The Bible Says!
1 Corinthians 10:13 - God will not allow you to face a temptation that is beyond your ability to endure. Every temptation will be accompanied by a way of escape so you can endure it.This means we can endure every trial without sinning. If you think you "can't do" what God said to do, or if you ever justify disobeying God, you have believed the Devil's lie. What we need to do is to quit looking for excuses and look instead for the way of escape!
Psalm 34:19 - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all." God may not remove all the afflictions, but He makes sure we are able to endure them faithfully - all of them.
Romans 8:35-39 - No temptation or trial can separate us from God. In them all, we are "more than conquerors." If we endured the temptation without sinning, we would just be "conquerors." But we are more than conquerors because the problem can actually make us better people. (See also 1 Pet. 5:8,9; James 4:7; Eph. 6:10-18; Prov. 24:10.)
Bible Examples
Not only does the Bible promise that we can endure faithfully, it gives us examples of many people who DID so. If they did, we can too.James 5:10,11 - Job and Old Testament prophets are our examples of suffering. Have we suffered as much as Job? Surely not. Yet he remained faithful and so can we.
2 Timothy 1:8 - Paul suffered great hardship for the Lord, and we should share in those sufferings. If he endured without falling away, we can too. He is the example we should imitate (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Hebrews 12:1-4 - Jesus (and faithful Old Testament characters) are witnesses to what we can do under trying circumstances. Our temptations are no worse than theirs. All these examples show that God will keep His promises to help His people endure faithfully. (1 Pet. 2:19-23)
If you are going through a trial or problem, drop a comment and I will be happy to pray for you.
God bless,
Marty
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