A little something

I was reading in one of my books last night that I've read over and over again, and thought I'd share a couple of short paragraphs with you that seem to go along with our current bible study lesson.....

(A Divine Confrontation by Graham Cooke)

It is easy to be joyful when things are going well for us. However, real joy does not depend on what is happening in a positive way. Real joy comes from the lord and is a source of great strength to us in time of trial and difficulty. The fruit of joy grows in poor circumstances in which we need to rejoice in the presence of God and His eternal promises.

The fruit of patience grows in troublesome situations in which we want to strive to take shortcuts or avoid difficult things instead of allowing the Lord to teach us to persevere in trust. God uses people and events to develop His character as well as His gifting in us.

We must learn how to enable the oil of the Holy Spirit to come between us and prevent the tension from becoming a friction. We get overheated through lack of oil. lack of grace, and lack of the fruit of God's nature in our hearts. Be challenged about this aspect of our walk with God. Learn to see other people through the eyes of God. When encountering difficult people, practice the grace of God. Develop the fruit of His nature. As you do, opportunities will open up for you in the nature of God.

There is always tangible success for us in these situations. Nothing may change in the circumstances, but something may change in us. Alternatively, our circumstances may change in many ways as the favor of God is poured through our chosen behavior. We must learn to respond to God and not react to circumstances.