Did you ever receive an amazing spiritual truth that you’ve appreciated at the time, but somehow it just never seemed to stick in your mind? I’m trying to make sense… something you’ve heard years ago that was buried, and then reading something triggered it to the surface. Sound familiar? That exact thing happened to me earlier this week.
Grace. God’s amazing grace… is just… well, amazing 🙂 I was a brand new Christian and heard something about grace that forever settled things for me…
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job 2: 9-10
God gave the exact amount of grace to JOB, not to Job’s wife. And so it is with us. Sometimes we say, “I don’t know how so and so does it. If it was me, I would never make it. I simply wouldn’t have the strength.” Oh, but yes you would have the strength. Grace comes as we need it, not before we need it. It’s the way God works. Here is what I recently read… The promise is not that you will have strength to meet tomorrow’s problem today, but only that, when it comes, God will provide the needed wisdom and courage to do so. Often the strength comes in the doing. And here’s the promise…
“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10: 13
Let me also point out that the word temptation is synonymous with the word test. There are times we go through things and feel like nobody else in the world could ever relate to what’s going on with us. But here’s the thing… God says our trials and temptations are the same to everyone throughout the ages. The details of our situation may vary greatly, but it’s nevertheless the same problem or test…
“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new! But actually it’s old; nothing is ever truly new.” Ecclesiastes 1: 9-10
(So don’t let the enemy lie and tell you that you’re situation is unique. If he can isolate you, know that sin isn’t far behind. )
Anyway, getting back to grace… “When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so you can endure.” He will show you a way out! As a Christian, it’s imperative that you believe this – because when you do, you really can make it through anything 🙂