November 29, 2024 – Dependency on God During Difficulty
Ephesians 5:1-2
Sermon: 2321 Give Thanks in Tough Times
Pray Over This
“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
Ponder This
We often dislike trouble, but trouble may bring a deepening dependency on God. The Apostle Paul was a highly gifted man. God had poured much grace, much intellect, and much influence on Paul, and Paul had a temptation to get away from God and to depend on himself like all of us.
What is your greatest strength? Your intellect, your money, your personality? No, your greatest strength is God. But you see, when we sail through life without any difficulties, we tend not to depend on God. When we begin to depend on ourselves, the difficulty, heartache, and pain cause us to depend on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you know one of the things we learn when we’re going through difficulty that moves us toward maturity? We learn patience. James 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The word “perfect” does not mean sinless, but mature. The Bible says Jesus, the captain of our salvation and faith, was made perfect through suffering. That doesn’t mean He was made sinless; He never sinned. But through every suffering, He leaned into His Father, not sinning, but showing us the way to endure. Press into Jesus. Thank Him for strengthening you to endure just as He did.
- When have you had a season that pushed you to recognize you needed to depend on God? What did you learn?
- How has God grown your patience through a difficult time?
Practice This
Share with a friend who does not know Christ your testimony of dependency on God through a difficult time.
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
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