March 7: WHAT BRINGS US TO TEARS WILL LEAD US TO GRACE. OUR PAIN IS NEVER WASTED.

Affirmation: Be courageous. Be strong. Do everything in love.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬
~~~~~

Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Read the whole verse, then focus on the final phrase: “…my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

These words are not typically in our daily vocabulary. They are words of protection. Thank God today for His protection, warning and safety. 


Psalm 18:2

 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

~~~~~
Reading for Today
Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

March 7

WHAT BRINGS US TO TEARS WILL LEAD US TO GRACE. OUR PAIN IS NEVER WASTED.

Weeping may stay for the night. but rejoicing comes in the morning. 
PSALM 30:5 

Childhood for me was full of BB guns and climbing trees and scraped knees and "be back home in time for dinner." I never thought about utility bills or the mortgage payment or taxes or how much blue jeans cost. When I heard my dad mention he was "changing the oil" in the car, I hoped he was installing something to cause an oil slick behind him like Batman. Parents work hard to shield their kids from the "real world" until they're old enough to understand it. But eventually something happens. It might be a big disappointment that makes you feel like the real world is crashing in or an even bigger responsibil­ity that causes you to play at a much higher level. It's all part of growing up, I suppose. I've never met a single person who's avoided this shift. 


The weight of growing up can be immense. Balancing a life, a few relation­ships, a career, and the uncertainty of it all can feel overwhelming. I've come to understand, though, that what brings us to tears will lead us to grace. God takes the weights of the pressures and disappointments in our lives and turns these into the very things that anchor us in our faith. 


We saw this happen in the life of Jesus. He experienced the same sadness we feel, and He endured it so we would know God can sympathize with our sadness. He doesn't judge us or expect us to bounce back from sorrow. He gets down into it with us. 


The night before Jesus gave His life for us, He kneeled in a garden and cried as He prayed for the painful night to pass. But He didn't skip over it even though He could have. He knew grace was on the other side of His grief. When we can't see past our sorrows, we can trust God is traveling with us with His love. 


What are you sorrowful about today? 

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