“Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, ‘Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.’”
Acts 27:31 (NIV) When you experience problems, difficulties, or hurts in life, they can either make you better or bitter. You really have a choice. You can either grow up or give up. You can become who God wants you to be, or you can become hard-hearted. When you go through difficult times, what happens to you is not nearly as important as what happens in you. You’ll take your character with you into eternity—not your circumstances. How you respond to life’s unfairness is up to you. That’s why you want to decide now what you will do. Acts 27 teaches three responses to avoid in trials, and from them, we can learn how God wants us to respond instead: 1. Don’t drift; stay focused. “The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along” (Acts 27:15 NIV). The ship carrying Paul and other prisoners to Rome was in the middle of the Mediterranean and hadn’t seen the sun for 14 days. They couldn’t get any bearings, and they started to drift. When some people face difficulty, they start drifting through life. They have no goal, purpose, ambition, or dream. Today we call this “coasting.” The problem with coasting is that you only coast when you’re headed downhill. Life is not a coast; life’s tough. Don’t lose your ambition or your dream when life gets hard. 2. Don’t discard; hold on. “We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard” (Acts 27:18 NIV). The men in charge needed to lighten the ship, so they threw the cargo overboard, followed by the tackle and the food. Because the storm was so overwhelming, they were discarding things they needed. When you get in a storm and the stress becomes unbearable, you may start abandoning values and relationships you would normally hold onto in better times. You might say, “I’m giving up on my marriage” or “I’m giving up on my dream to go to college.” But God says, “Stay with the ship!” God uses difficult situations to change people. It’s rarely God’s will for you to run from a difficult situation. God wants you to learn, grow, and develop—and he is there with you all the time. 3. Don’t despair; hope in God. “We finally gave up all hope of being saved” (Acts 27:20 NIV). After 14 days and after giving up their cargo, tackle, and food, the passengers finally gave up hope. But they’d forgotten one thing: Even in a storm, God is in control. He hasn’t left you. You may not feel him, but if you feel far from God, guess who moved? It wasn’t him! God is with you in the storm, and he’ll help you through it. And on the other side of the storm, you’ll find that he’s grown your character and deepened your faith.
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“Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other.”
Romans 12:5 (GW) The church not only helps you center your life on God, but it also helps you connect with other believers. God did not put you here to live an isolated life. While you’re on Earth, God wants you to learn to love other people, and he wants you to practice loving others in his family. The Bible says, “Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other” (Romans 12:5 GW). When you become a child of God, you’re connected to other believers as their brother or sister. The Bible says you’re part of a body. What is this body? Romans 12:5 says, “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (ESV). Your spiritual life does not amount to anything if it’s disconnected from the family of God. If I cut off my finger, it’s not just going to stop growing, it’s also going to die. For my finger to live, it has to be connected to my body. In the same way, you need to be connected to other people in the body of Christ if you want to grow spiritually and fulfill God’s purpose for your life. A study on mental health revealed that if you isolate yourself from others and don’t develop close friendships, like those in a small group, you are three times more likely to die an early death. You’re four times more likely to suffer emotional burnout. You’re five times more likely to be clinically depressed. And you’re 10 times more likely to be hospitalized for an emotional or mental disorder. During the last couple of years, when it’s sometimes been necessary to isolate physically, people have learned to connect in all sorts of creative ways. Whatever situation you’re in today, find ways to connect to other believers. Become part of the family of God. Join a small group. Get connected. As Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are members of God’s very own family . . . and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian” (TLB). “Then the people of Judah said, ‘The work crews are worn out, and there is too much rubble. We can’t continue to rebuild the wall.’”
Nehemiah 4:10 (GW) Discouragement is curable. When you get discouraged, you might head straight to the book of Nehemiah. This great leader of ancient Israel understood there were four reasons for discouragement. First, you get fatigued. You simply get tired as the laborers did in Nehemiah 4:10: “Then the people of Judah said, ‘The work crews are worn out, and there is too much rubble. We can’t continue to rebuild the wall’” (GW). Human beings wear out. You can’t burn the candle at both ends. If you’re discouraged, you may not have to change anything major in your life. You may just need rest! Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed. Second, you get frustrated. Nehemiah says there was rubble all around, so much so that it was getting in the way of rebuilding the wall. Do you have “rubble” in your life? Have you noticed that anytime you start doing something new, the rubble (the frustrations that keep you from working toward your goal) starts piling up? If you don’t clean it out periodically, it will stop your progress. You can’t avoid it, so you need to learn to recognize it and dispose of it quickly so that you don’t lose focus on your goals. Third, you think you’ve failed. Nehemiah’s people were unable to finish their task as quickly as originally planned, and, as a result, their confidence collapsed. They thought, “We were stupid to think we could ever rebuild this wall.” But you know what I do when I don’t reach a goal on time? I just set a new goal. I don’t give up. Everybody fails; everybody does foolish things. The issue is not that you failed; it’s how you respond to your failure. Do you give in to self-pity? Do you start blaming other people? Do you start complaining that it’s impossible? Or do you refocus on God’s intentions and start moving again? Finally, you give in to fear. Giving in to fear leads to discouragement. Nehemiah 4 suggests that the people most affected by fear are those who hang around negative people. To control the negative thoughts in your life, avoid negative people as much as you can. Maybe you’re discouraged because of fear and you say, “I can’t handle this. It’s too much responsibility.” Maybe it’s the fear of criticism. Or you think you don’t deserve to succeed. Fear will destroy your life if you let it. But you can choose to resist the discouragement by saying, “God, help me get my eyes off the problem and the circumstances and keep my eyes on you.” You don’t have to stay stuck in your discouragement. Ask God to help you figure out the reason for it, address it, and start moving forward in confidence. “In all things God works for the good of those who love him."
Romans 8:28 (NIV) Everything God does is for your good and because he loves you. The Bible says, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful” (Psalm 25:10 NIV), and “In all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28 NIV). This is something you have to remind yourself of again and again, because any time God says “no” to your prayers, Satan will shoot darts of doubt at you. He’s going to whisper lies to you: “God doesn’t love you. He doesn’t care about you; otherwise, he’d give you everything you want!” But Satan is a liar. You don’t have to understand God’s answer to your prayer to know it’s motivated by love. God loves you too much to give you everything you ask for. So, when God says “no,” you’ve got three options: You can resist it, resent it, or relax in it. You can resist God. You can fight him, get mad at him, turn your back on him, and say, “Okay, God, if you don’t play the game my way, I’m going to take matters into my own hands.” I’ve met a lot of people who walked away from God because God said “no” to their prayer. They didn’t trust that he had a bigger perspective, a better plan, and a greater purpose. Those people walked away from God in resentment and rebellion. That’s the second thing you can do—you can resent it. When you doubt God’s love like that, it makes you bitter and miserable. So many people have lived their entire lives in misery because they’ve never accepted the fact that God only does what’s good in their lives. There is a third way to respond to God’s goodness: You can relax in it. When you believe that God always has your best interest at heart, you can look with new eyes at the things he does that don’t make sense. You may not understand it. It may even be painful. But God is still good. He is loving, and he will never stop loving you. You can say, “Even in this, God’s love still remains.” That’s the only kind of response that will bring you peace! Don’t resist or resent God’s work in your life. You can relax in the truth that it is always for your good. “When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Mark 6:49-50 (NIV) It’s only in the storms of life that you learn what Jesus is really like. You see that he’s not a mere man. He’s not just a nice teacher or an ethical leader. He is God, the Creator of the universe. In Mark 6, Jesus noticed the disciples were in distress. They were in the middle of a lake, where the wind and waves were pounding their boat and keeping them from making any progress. And so Jesus walked out to them on the water. “When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid’” (Mark 6:49-50 NIV). The disciples still had some nagging doubts—maybe Jesus was just a nice prophet who could do some miracles. But by walking on water, Jesus revealed he was far more than just a man. He showed them he was God. He also gave them a challenge: “Don’t be afraid.” And he reassured them: “It is I.” In Greek, the language this part of the Bible was originally written in, the phrase “It is I” is actually two words: ego ima. Ego ima simply means “I Am.” Why is that important? The name of God is “I Am”—not “I was” or “I will be” or “I hope to be.” When Jesus says, “I Am,” he is saying that you don’t need to be afraid. You don’t need to sweat it. He is God. And that is enough. If you’re going through a storm, you don’t need a job—you need Jesus. You don’t need a plan—you need a person. You don’t need a system—you need a Savior. You don’t need a new goal—you need God. When you’re going through a storm, remember that God is not distant, apathetic, or uninvolved. He is “I Am.” And he will get you through the storm. “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (GNT) Let’s face it. You and I do foolish things from time to time. We make mistakes. But nothing you ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. You may make mistakes, but God doesn’t. The Bible says in Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose” (GNT). When you make a foolish mistake, God says, “I can fit that in too. I can use it all for good.” Let's be clear, though. This isn’t a promise for everyone. The verse doesn’t say God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for his purposes. The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purposes. I don’t always get it right. But I want to do the right thing. I want to follow you, and I want to trust you.” Do that, and God will take it all and use it for his good. That’s a reason for joy. When you put your life in his hands, it doesn’t mean you’ll never goof up again. You’ll still make bad decisions. You’ll still mess up. But God can fit it all into his plans. There is no plan B for your life. God knew all the mistakes you’d make before you were born. He also knew he’d fit those mistakes into his plan. That means you can relax. You can stop being anxious. You can move into the new year trusting God’s grace is active your life. Do your best with what God has given you. God will work everything into his plan. “We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NCV) You’re always going to get discouraged when you try to be a superhero and do more than is humanly possible. You need a more realistic view of yourself: You can’t fix everybody’s problems. You can’t be in more than one place at one time. You can’t do everything you want to do. You can’t spend money you don’t have. You need to learn to relax in your limitations. Anytime you live outside of the limitations of your life, you’re going to get discouraged. It’s easier to fill your schedule than it is to fulfill your schedule. It’s always easier to get in than it is to get out. It’s easier to make a promise than to keep a promise. It’s always easier to get into debt than it is to get out of debt. Often the first signs of overextending show up in your body. The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us” (NCV). In other words, you need to know your limits. You need to recognize your warning signs when you’re overextended and realize you’re just the vessel and God is the power. Our bodies are like clay jars—we’re all a little cracked because we’ve all been dropped here and there. But God often puts his greatest gifts in the weakest people, and that gives us the opportunity to point back to him and say, “That’s got to be God. That could have only happened through God’s power.” Throughout history, God has used flawed instruments to put his glory on display. Nothing would get done if God only used perfect people, because there aren’t any! You may think it’s best to hide your weaknesses, but God wants to use them in your life. But first, you’ve got to recognize and respect your limitations. Then, you trust in God’s power and not your own to accomplish his purpose for you. “Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are your servants for his sake.”
2 Corinthians 4:5 (GW) The more you lead a self-focused life, the more you’re prone to discouragement. Every time you forget that it’s not about you, you’re going to get prideful or fearful or bitter. Those feelings will always lead to discouragement because they keep you focused on yourself. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:5, “Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are your servants for his sake” (GW). It’s not about you! God put you on this earth, and he has a message he wants to declare to the world through you. But your life message is not about you. It’s about Jesus Christ. “It’s not about you" carries a message that’s the most countercultural message you could give in today’s world. Nearly everything in society—songs, video games, TV shows, news stories, and advertisements—says you’ve got to think about yourself first. Sometimes we might find ourselves having to repeat the phrase 20 times a day! When someone praises us, criticizes us, misjudges us, or disagrees with us, we have to remind ourselves, “It’s not about me.” Why? Because when I focus on me, I’m going to get discouraged. Instead, as Paul says in today’s verse, we are servants for Jesus’ sake. That means we are motivated to serve others because of what Jesus has done for us. God is always more interested in why you’re doing what you’re doing than he is in what you’re actually doing. He cares about the motivations of your heart. Why you’re doing something always determines how long you’re going to do it. If you’re motivated by selfish ambition, that will never be good enough. You’ll eventually get discouraged and quit. But when you’re motivated to do something because of how it advances the Gospel and glorifies Jesus, you will have the encouragement you need to see it through. “We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:2 (NLT) Nothing is more discouraging than trying to be something you’re not. If you maintain a façade because you’re afraid other people might find out who you are or God might not love you, then you’re going to miss out on God’s best for your life. God does not bless fakes or phonies. If you want God’s blessing on your life, stop living for the approval of other people and start being who God made you to be. God didn’t create you to be somebody else. When you get to heaven, he isn’t going to ask, “Why weren’t you more like your sister or the popular kid or your successful friend?” He’s going to hold you accountable for how you fulfilled his purposes for your life. The world doesn’t need two of you or anybody else. But the world does need you to do the work God has for you on earth. He shaped you and gifted you in a unique way, and we’re all missing out if you’re determined to be anyone but yourself. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:2, “We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God” (NLT). In other words, we’re not putting on a disguise or a phony mask. We’re not pretending we’re something we’re not. And we don’t twist the Word of God. Instead, we teach the truth plainly, showing everyone who we really are. Nothing is more discouraging than trying to please everybody. Some people will like us, some won't. That’s just life! Even God can’t please everyone. When somebody’s praying for a snow day, someone else is praying for blue skies. If you’re always trying to be something you’re not, you’re always going to be under stress and fear being exposed, and you’re going to be prone to discouragement. To defeat discouragement, just be who God made you to be. You don’t have to be perfect for God to bless you—just be authentic. “It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up.”
2 Corinthians 4:1 (TLB) Do you know that God loves you? Maybe you’ve heard that truth all your life! But if you know God loves you, do you sense and recognize God’s love? When you stop believing you are loved by God, you can start to get discouraged. Why? Because if you don’t believe God loves you, then you can’t experience his grace and mercy. The best way to defeat discouragement is to remember how much God loves you and to stay focused on that truth. “It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work of telling his Good News to others, and so we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:1 TLB). What is mercy? Mercy is when God gives you what you need, not what you deserve. Mercy is when God knows every mistake you’ve made and will ever make, and he still gives you every good thing in your life. God’s mercy is what keeps you going when you feel hopeless or worn down or discouraged. A lot of people who have been Christians for a long time don’t sense God’s love because they only think God speaks to them in a critical voice. But if the voice you’re listening to is always negative, it’s not God. God made you to love you. The number one purpose of your life is not for you to do good. The number one purpose of your life is not even for you to love God back. The number one purpose of your life is to let God love you. When you do that and experience his mercy and grace, you’ll be free to pursue all that he has planned for your life. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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