The Message of a Lifetime

Job 23:10-14

Imagine going to a nice restaurant for dinner. The table is set with linens, fine china, and crystal glassware. The waiter delivers your plate with a flourish. In the middle of that exquisite china plate is a single marshmallow. Instead of receiving a delicious meal, you’re given just a puff of sugar.

If we’re not careful, our life can resemble that disappointing meal. Instead of being believers with a message full of hope, we can find ourselves with nothing to offer but a bit of fluffy sweetness. Yet God’s good news is meant to nourish and sustain us.

If the Lord is building a valuable message into our life, then we must receive everything that comes our way as being from Him. When a bad event passes through God’s permissive will to affect us, He will bring good from it. Oftentimes, a person can share a word of hope more effectively if he or she has first suffered (2 Cor. 1:3-5). When we are hurting, we seek comfort from people who have faced similar pain. Likewise, others will trust our comfort if we have known loss or disappointment.

Whatever the circumstances, we should be evaluating what God is doing in us. When we look for His purposes and lessons, we hasten the time when our life message reflects the hope that’s available in Christ Jesus.

Bible in One Year:Joshua 10-12