| Gratitude 9/21/07 George Poulo In every thing give thanks: For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus Concerning you. 1Thes5:18 "Most gladly therefore will rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities..." (2Cor12:9-10) To glory in one�s infirmities and to take pleasure in infirmities is a sign of faith. One reacts in the spirit and not in the flesh. It is a sign the values of the world no longer influence you. God is after the finished product. We are to have Christ living and moving within. We are to be like him. All things work together for the good for a born again believer and trials and tribulations are the fingers God uses to squeeze the grapes in order to make us wine. In the Old Testament God called the Israelites wild grapes because they would not endure the trials and testing of God. They murmured and complained. Consequently, they failed to receive the blessing of God. In this order of things there is no growth without trials and tribulation. Gratitude begins when one recognizes the providence of God using circumstances to make us more and more like Christ. To rejoice in tribulation is to rejoice in the opportunity not to suffer but to come out a finished product. Whatever the trial, whatever the circumstances, trusting in God to bring us through, is what causes us to mature in the Lord. Then when we have become mature we can lead others to the Promised Land. The question becomes then, how do we do this? Our human nature cries out for justice but God calls us to bear the fruit of righteousness. The cross is the means God uses to crucify the flesh. By faith we mortify the deeds of the flesh and walk in the Spirit. Once we know that circumstances are the opportunity for God to prove himself as God then life becomes exciting and our light affliction an exceeding and eternal weight of glory as we look not at what is seen but what is not seen. Circumstances are temporal. They change. God is changeless. He is eternal. So no matter what we are going through by faith we know that if we do not faint, we will overcome. Our sense of gratitude is magnified not by an absence of trials and tribulations but that through them we become like Christ. Be grateful for the storm, God will see you through and when trials come, instead of anger, there will be joy and peace. Then you will know that you have matured and become a man or woman of God. Amen |