Devotion for the day
Romans 8:28

If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace. If he has made it bitter; drink it in communion with him. Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

It has been said of George Frederick Handel that when his health and finances were at a low point, he rose to the greatest heights of his creative experience. His creditors were threatening him with imprisonment, and he was suffering from partial paralysis. He then went into seclusion and there fellowshipped with God as never before. During that time, God enabled him to write the grandest of all his oratorios, Messiah. The notes seemed to fly from his pen.

Dear beloved being a Christian does not mean that you will be carried through life on a flowery bed of roses. As member of a fallen race, you are subjected to sickness, accidents and tragedy like everyone else. Furthermore, you encounter the added struggle of spiritual conflict with the Evil One and the lifelong battle against your own sinful tendencies. Yet the Lord always sustains you through each trail and works to bring good out of the most trying circumstances.

It may seem that difficulties would prevent you from being productive in the Lord’s service, but actually the opposite can be true. Through God’s intervention, your loss can be turned into great pain, and the outcome of your trail will become a blessing to others.

Dear Brother and Sister how encouraging that in all things, even your afflictions, God is working everything together for your benefit. Overruling the bad to produce good is no problem to an all powerful, good God.

Remember: Affliction can prepare ordinary Christians for extraordinary service.

Have a blessed day
In His Service
Pastor. John Spurgeon