Trials in Life

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

 

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

James 1:2-8 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 

Firstly

Whenever I am asked what I want most in a guy (specifically, my 'One) I always say "That he puts God first." Depending on who asked, their questions range from "That's it? You don't even have a 'type'?" or "But what about someone who shares your passion for ___, outreach, writing, kids, etc?"

My response, no matter who asked is always "If he is able to put God first, I know he will have everything else in his life where it needs to be, including me. That is really all that matters."

I would like to encourage all of you, those who are waiting for their Someone's (you know who you are) to not become discouraged. So often you are met with temptation, ridicule, and questioning, but if you believe in God, then you must believe in His Plan and His Timing in ALL things, including your love life. I am no where near perfect in this or any matter, but Sanctification in God is a process, a daily, hourly battle against the world and the desires in us to align with what He ultimately designed. God has promised it is not good for man to be alone, so draw closer to Him, make Him the Lord of your Life, and soon you might just find yourself being led towards your One.

For we are God's handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus, born anew that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us, taking paths which He prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live. Ephesians 2: 10 

*Not KJV version, alternate version for easier understanding*

Unite the Body

And sadly, so much of the world has attached so much biased to the word Christian, that the entire MESSAGE of the LIFESTYLE and the FAITH of it has been lost. We've got the resources to bring people together now more than we ever have before, to unite the Body of Christ and purify what we stand for - to make our INDIVIDUAL lives a living testimony to God - but we are so busy arguing among ourselves the rest of the world rolls this eyes and says "Yea, that's one hypocritical mess I'm staying out of" when we should simply shush up, look up, listen up, and move up to what HE said, not what we think! Yes, I will never apologize for Jesus, but it kills me that so many have contorted His Image through their own 'Interpretations' - to the point that Christian is nothing more than a label.

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks

, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

A Change in the Itinerary

Only 2 days ago I was sure I was about to be in DC to support the people of Israel. I was in the airport at 8 am - awaiting my 9:30 flight. I'd been packed for 2 weeks, and had been waiting for almost 6 months for that day. Then the plane was delayed till noon, and so I went home only to return, say my goodbyes, board the plane, and await take off. Not 5 minutes later, the plane literally shut completely down due to a rear engine failure. Assured it would be fixed soon, we de-boarded and went back into the terminal.

2 hours later, it is 4 pm and we - an entire roomful of people who have been waiting all day, some since 6 am, to leave are still stranded. The plane mechanic hadn't even showed up. Delta attempted to arrange for a new plane, to find there was none. (How? I have no idea... How one of the largest commercial flyers can't get a plane from north Ga. to Atlanta is beyond me.) It was then 4:30 pm and I was overcome with distress.

I should have been in DC by 2. I should have been in my hotel room getting ready for the first meeting. I should have been meeting up with all the kids I met on fb in the lobby. I should have been talking with the young man who flew all the way from Thailand to attend. So why wasn't I? Why was I - who had received a scholarship to go to the would-be biggest event of my life - not there? Delayed planes, broken planes, no planes, they all played a part - but believe me when I say if it could have gone wrong, it did. So there I was. Grounded in the most simple of terms. There was no physical way for me to make it to DC (unless I was to take then "Let's put all 70 of you on a greyhound bus for 4-5 hours just to get to Atlanta" option.)

It was painful to admit, and even more disappointing, to think that perhaps God didn't want me there. He had pretty much done everything possible to make sure I didn't even get out of the terminal. All signs up until that point were a go. Everything had come together perfectly, but at the very last moment, the walls caved in (and a jet engine randomly broke down...)

I would have to be blind to not see it. With my parents council and my own choice (a bitter, if resentful one at the time) I made the choice that had literally already been made for me. I was not going to DC.

Now I'm sure there is a message here - perhaps God has revealed to you yours, but right now, I'm still dealing with the thought that I'm not there, even if I am where He so obviously wants me to be. (Which happens to be helping my family move. How we are managing to do it using only a minivan and a F-150 truck is a miracle in itself.)

All in all, I am happy to know His Angels are watching out for things I don't see, and are going to great lengths to keep me from where I wanted - but do not need - to go.