Posted by ProliferatingTruth on April 17, 2012
The road to success in life isn’t always straight.
There’s a curve, called FAILURE.
A loop, called CONFUSION.
Speed bumps, called FRIENDS.
Red lights, called ENEMIES.
Caution lights, called FAMILIES.
And flat tires, called JOBS.
However …
If you have a spare, called DETERMINATION …
An engine, called PERSEVERANCE …
Insurance, called FAITH …
And a Driver, called JESUS …
You will make it to a place called …
SUCCESS.
- Copied
Posted in Courage, Faith, Faithfulness, Persistance, Resilience, Tests, Trials, Victory | Comments Off
Posted by ProliferatingTruth on April 12, 2012
Some trials are designed to give us “callouses,” or to build our muscular and/or emotional endurance.
That is to say, Some trials are integrated into our lives, with the specific design and intention of hardening and desensitizing us to certain hard-hearted and insensitive actions and responses on the part of others.
They are brought into our very inner world – INTEGRATED into that world – with the specific design, intention, and function, of integrating and instilling ENDURANCE and a STRONG CONSTITUTION RIGHT where it is NEEDED THE MOST.
They are designed to instill within us an emotional self-sufficiency, which is COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT of ANY NEED TO BE STOKED OR STROKED BY ANY OTHER HUMAN BEING.
And as hard as this brand of trial is to endure to the point of learning to APPRECIATE it JOYFULLY … it ends up yielding some of THE MOST VALUABLE “fruit of righteousness” to the one willing to FAITHFULLY ENDURE it!
Hebrews 12:3-15, KJ2000, CadreBible: For consider him that endured such hostility of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? 8 But if you be without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then are you illegitimate children, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them who are trained by it. 12 Therefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.
James 1:2-4, 12, KJ2000, CadreBible: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials, 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. 12 Blessed is the man that endures trial: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
Posted in Discouragement, Endurance, Relationships, Temptation, Tests, Trials | Comments Off
Posted by ProliferatingTruth on March 2, 2012
NOTE:
This is a skeleton outline only. The full version will be uploaded at a future date. In the meantime, please spend some time with me contemplating what it means to suffer with Christ …
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Philippians 3:7-14 – "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
The Fellowship of His Sufferings: Thirteen Ways Christ Suffered As He Lived In This Life
1. Homelessness – The Reward: An Extended, Caring Spiritual Family.
2. Being Misunderstood – The Reward: Sincere Followers.
3. Sleeplessness and Exhaustion – The Reward: Deep Fellowship with the Father.
4. Suffering Deceit – The Reward: Honest Followers.
5. Enduring Ignorance and Hypocrisy – The Reward: Genuinely Spiritual Followers.
6. Teaching Slow, and Often Faithless, Students and Disciples – The Reward: Progressive Understanding in the Hearts of His Most Faithful Followers.
7. General Persecution – The Reward: Loving Believers.
8. Conspirators Against His Divinely Appointed Agenda – The Reward: Sincere Supporters.
9. Vulnerability – The Reward: Truly Trustworthy Friends and Supporters.
10. Foreknowledge of His Impending Trial – The Reward: Strength to Move Ahead.
11. Betrayal, Unjust Trial, Suffering, Humiliation, Crucifixion, and Death on the Cross – The Reward: Grace for the Moment … and Eventual Resurrection.
12. Separation from the Presence of the Father – The Reward: Full Restoration, and the Full Approval of the Father.
13. Absence from His Faithful Disciples – The Reward: For His Disciples, The Help, Companionship, Power, and Eternal Presence, of the Holy Spirit.
Posted in Persecution, Suffering, Tests, Trials | Comments Off
Posted by ProliferatingTruth on September 16, 2011
1 Samuel 25; Matthew 7:12 – "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
1. PEOPLE ARE FICKLE - furthermore, they tend to be selfish and unappreciative.
2. DON’T BANK ON THE APPRECIATION OR RECIPROCATION OF OTHERS - even when you’ve done your very best to give them every reason to be both reciprocal AND appreciative.
3. SHARE YOUR BLESSINGS AND RESOURCES – exercise the Golden Rule, that you might be blessed with friends, and not enemies, in life.
4. DON’T BE CHURLISH – this inspires opposition in others; and, furthermore, it EXASPERATES them.
5. MAKE UP FOR ANOTHER’S CHURLISHNESS IF POSSIBLE – IF possible, that is.
6. DON’T FLIP OUT WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS YOU’D PLANNED OR PRESUMED THEY WOULD GO – don’t overreact, as David did. And don’t blow your stack, as Nabal did. Both reactions have a tendancy to lead to premature death.
7. KEEP GOD INVOLVED – and align your responses with His merciful character and compassion. BE THE BIGGER MAN – and God will handle your Nabal FOR you.
Posted in Bitterness, Communication, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Human Nature, Integrity, Leadership, Offense, Persistance, Reconciliation, Relationships, Restoration, Tests | Comments Off
Posted by ProliferatingTruth on September 16, 2011
Genesis 29; Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 – "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God."
1. DTA (Don’t Trust Anybody)- not even your future father-in-law.
2. ALWAYS get the details clear – and, where possible, ALWAYS get them in writing.
3. INSIST UPON INTEGRITY – even if your Laban HAS none, but insists he’s ACTING WITH integrity. And ALWAYS ACT WITH INTEGRITY YOURSELF.
4. DO RIGHT – regardless of Laban’s UTTER INABILITY to do right. And …
5. GET, and KEEP, God involved.
Posted in Boundaries, Communication, Discouragement, Forgiveness, Human Nature, Integrity, Justice, Leadership, Reconciliation, Rejection, Relationships, Resilience, Suffering, Tests, Trust | Comments Off
