Friday, 18 August 2023
“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.”
Think of how God wants to minister through you when you are going through hard times!
How could Paul be glad that he could be poured out as a drink offering? Because he looked at it in the light of the gospel. Everything Paul did and said was to bring others to Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:22 says, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” Paul was ALL about the Great Commission. As a result, he looked at his suffering in the light of how it may bless others. Indeed, he looked at that suffering as just another way God was using him to reach the lost. His perspective was not about himself, and how much he was suffering, it was about others!
Are you going through a tough time at the moment? How do you think God wants to use you this time to be a witness to others? Are you growing in your faith during your suffering? Can you, in turn, encourage others through that growth? Do you have trouble understanding why something is happening? Talk to others about it. In your talking to them, they may be blessed and be drawn closer to God.
Remember, we are not perfect. Your struggles and sufferings show you to be human.
If you are suffering, bring it to the Lord and ask him to use you through your suffering. When your perspective changes from inward-focused to outwards-focused, the burden becomes lifted. Cast your cares upon him and let him take the reins of your life. You will be amazed at what he accomplishes through you during your suffering.
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