When Paul and Silas were preaching in Lystra, a man who had been crippled from birth was gloriously healed. The city went wild with joy and excitement, thinking two of their own [pagan] gods had come to visit! Paul stopped the people from sacrificing to them and began to teach about Yahshua. However, some of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived, turned the people against Paul, had him stoned and then dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead! As the disciples gathered round him in sorrow, Paul got up and walked back to the city! What a conclusion! Later, he encouraged the believers, urging them to stand firm in the faith, reminding them it is ‘through many tribulations that we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven’ [Acts 14:8-22].
Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Or struggled to understand why Yahweh doesn’t sort out the problems before they occur? The Bible doesn’t teach us to presume salvation and holiness are a contract for trouble-free living. Or that having Yahweh as our Father automatically guarantees a blissful existence. From the book of Job, one of the oldest books in the Bible, we read, “…humans are born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” [Job 5:7, Christian Standard Bible]. Which, when you think about it, is quite a sobering reflection. Yahshua put His own stamp on it when He said, “In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering…” Yet His personal conclusion is thrilling, “but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world” [John 16:33, Amplified Bible]. We can trust Him!
Nobody enjoys being on the receiving end of trouble, but throughout the years men and women of faith have noted the unmistakeable harvest it brings. “The greenest grass,” writes Charles Spurgeon, “is found wherever the most rain falls. So I suppose it is the fog and mist of Ireland that makes it ‘the Emerald Isle’. And wherever you find the widespread fog of trouble and the mist of sorrow, you will always find emerald green hearts that are full of the beautiful foliage of the comfort and love of [Yahweh].”
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You Are The BranchesClick to see the whole passage:
1 timothy 3:16 NIV - Beyond all question, the mystery from - Bible Gateway
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