I Like it, I Love it, I want more of It
1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,
4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.
5 This hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.Romans 5:1-5 (HCSB)
There are lots of things that we have to be thankful for as Christians. Our salvation, our freedom, Heaven, our relationship with God, the list could go on and on. Would you ever have thought to put the hard times of life on that list? You should.
The title for this devotion comes from the Marines. During Basic Training, it is what the recruits would say to the drill instructors. No matter how hard the training was, they would cry this out. They were trained to love the hard work. Why, because going into battle is hard. What they would have to do as soldiers would be hard. They had to learn how to thrive in almost impossible situations. More than that, it is what would make them the best they could be.
It’s the same way for us as Christians. What God is going to have us do is never easy. In fact, it is impossible for us. We will never be who God wants us to be if we aren’t molded by the pressures of life. When God is in control of our life, He will mold us. Just like a sculptor, God will use pressure to make us into the people He wants us to be.
When you see what happens when you make it through the hard times in life, you will want more of it. You will rejoice over the work that God is doing in your life. You will thank Him for considering you worthy of going through what you have. Most important of all, you will praise Him for being the one who got you though it in the first place.
Consider This…
What are the pressures in your life that you are going through right now? Are you letting God get you through them, or are you trying to do it on your own?
Give your problems to God. Let Him work in your life so that you can have victory. Once you have it, praise Him for what He has done.
