Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
One of the themes we see often in Scripture is how God works through the most difficult and challenging circumstances we face to bring about His good will for our lives, and in the process for others as well. We might think of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, etc., who all endured very difficult times, but we see in Scripture how God was at work through those experiences to transform their characters, deepen their faith, and equip them to serve God in greater ways.
This past Sunday we looked at Paul’s experience of being under house arrest, chained to a guard for two years, yet how God used that to help advance the Gospel to people and places who would not have had access to it apart from Paul’s circumstances.
Are you facing some challenging, maybe even painful circumstances in your life right now? (And if you are not, it is only a matter of time before you will find yourself in such circumstances.) I want to encourage you that God has not forgotten or abandoned you! You can be sure that God is at work. God uses even the most difficult experiences we face to fashion us, to deepen our faith, to mold our character, to expand our witness, to soften our heart, to impact others, etc.
As we saw with Paul, Christ was the center of his life, and that enabled him to rejoice even in hard times, for he knew that God’s will was being accomplished even through those hard times. So, because of Christ’s love for us, let us determine to live with Christ at the center of our lives, thereby be confident that God is always bringing about His good will, no matter our circumstances.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob