Tribulation Produces Perseverance

Romans 5:3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

We do?? We do when our eyes are on GOD.

Many Christians only want the blessings and don't believe GOD would have them go through difficult times. But they miss out on a development of perseverance and character that can only come through tribulations.

The late Keith Green once sang a song that said, "Bless me LORD bless me LORD you know that’s all I ever hear, no one aches, no one cares, no one even sheds one tear."I think Keith knew that if our relationship was just blessings, there would be no depth to our character, only shallowness.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

and in Matthew 7:13 " Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

When our thinking of Christianity is limited to blessing only we’re not following Biblical teachings.

I think the neat thing about tribulations is you know GOD is doing something. On the other side of that experience will be a deeper understanding of GOD. A closer relationship. Something better then we could of ever developed.

And remember GOD will not allow you to go through something that is beyond your ability. OH WE COULD QUIT AND FORSAKE GOD BUT IT'S NOT BECAUSE GOD ALLOWED MORE THEN WE CAN HANDLE, IT'S BECAUSE WE WOULD NOT ALLOW GOD'S WAY IN OUR LIFE

The Biblical Christian life comes with outstanding blessing, times of abounding and it also comes with tuff tribulations, times of abasing. In both we should be rejoicing KNOWING that it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

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