A Long Time Gone

It's been a long time since I posted anything. The Lord has been putting us through many trials lately that have really tested our faith. That, coupled with the business of life & studying for my Ladies' Bible Study, has kept me pretty busy. I have been going through the book of Hebrews in my personal study & have been spending much time in Hebrews 12. It is a wonderful passage of encouragement & hope for those who are being tested. It reminds us that God disciplines (either as chastisement or the kind of discipline that an athlete goes through to become the best-training) those that He loves, and that if you never experience chastisement or trials in your life, you are not a child of God. We are then reminded that "All discipline for the moment seems not be joyvul, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Hebrews 12:11

This is such a message of hope and encouragement. He then tells us to "strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble". This can only be done through prayer and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If we are lacking wisdom in these trials, we are told in James 1;5-8 to ask for it and God will grant it. This wisdom is for decision-making, but it is also the wisdom to go through the trial with joy (James 1:-4), patience, endurance and thankfulness, looking to the hope that is laid up for us in heaven.

The trials that we have been going through have been lengthy & rough at times, but I am trusting that God will bring us through with a more mature faith and a deeper love for Christ than when we started.

I hope that this is encouraging to any who may also be going through tough times.

Because of the Love of Jesus Christ,

Lisa