Curveball

Don’t you hate it when people throw scriptures at you without any thought to your circumstances?  You may not, but I do, and I can’t tell you how many people have shoved Romans 8:28 in front of me, assuming that verse to make sense, calm, solve, support or to just shut me up!

The verse says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NLT)

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah…I know, but--what do you do when the verse doesn’t make sense to your circumstance?  When life has thrown you one of those deadly curves you didn’t see coming?  When the door to ministry closes or you lose someone special in your life?  When your brook dries up and there’s no meal in the jar?

Let me encourage you as you continue in your circle of prayer to remember that verse is only as good as the following verses:

 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified” (Rom. 8:20-30).

It’s not about our comfort but about our being conformed, by any means necessary. I find myself so anxious at times to get out of my difficulties that I fail to grow through them.  God’s objective is not often about relieving my suffering or delivering me from serious situations, but using them to temper my soul, strengthen my spirit and humble my flesh.  

Mark Batterson put it like this in his “Circle Maker” book: 

“We’re so fixated on getting out of situations that we don’t get anything out of them.”

Does that shoe fit? Jesus preached humility, self-sacrifice and surrender and how interesting that at the end it was these three virtues that nailed Him to the tree.  One for each nail!

As you linger in your circle today, why not think more about God changing you than your circumstance?  Draw your circle and step into it. Then, just as the nails held Jesus to the cross, allow our Heavenly Father to ‘nail’ you there for a few minutes with the nails of humility, self-sacrifice and surrender.  I promise you will not bleed blood, but you might bleed brokenness.

Pilgrims who travel great distances to visit what they believe to be solemn and sacred sites will often pay homage with self-mutilating acts like walking on their knees or taking steps and then prostrating themselves. Gratefully, God isn’t interested in our self-mutilation, but He is interested in us surrendering ourselves in obedience.

Easter is just 37 days away, so let this day deal with you and remember-- sometimes God delivers us from our problems; sometimes God delivers us through our problems.

Enjoy your Sabbath tomorrow and we will pick right back up on Monday, Day 6.

I’ll meet you at the Throne,

Pastor George