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| "...Don't only go through Life, -Grow through Life !" |
No one is granted immunity from the hardships of life — not even believers...
Whether it’s the death of a loved one, prolonged physical illness, or the loss of a job, suffering strikes us all...
But just as we can be guaranteed of sorrow in life, we can also count on God’s comfort & redemption.
In His kingdom, He has the final say on our brokenness and His plan is always to trade beauty for ashes.
Being broken, -is a tender process of being inspired in hope to look ahead for the joy that awaits all those who trust in the Lord amidst their most trying seasons.
When all is destroyed, and life seems broken beyond repair, it’s time to make a trade: your ashes for His beauty.
Brokenness brings us to the place where we say:
“God Is Our All in All; all that matters is God and His presence in my life,”
...the place where we awaken with God’s purposes in mind, praying:
“What do you want me to do, say, and be today in order to bring You glory?”
At that point we are in a submission:
But just as we can be guaranteed of sorrow in life, we can also count on God’s comfort & redemption.
In His kingdom, He has the final say on our brokenness and His plan is always to trade beauty for ashes.
Being broken, -is a tender process of being inspired in hope to look ahead for the joy that awaits all those who trust in the Lord amidst their most trying seasons.
When all is destroyed, and life seems broken beyond repair, it’s time to make a trade: your ashes for His beauty.
Brokenness brings us to the place where we say:
“God Is Our All in All; all that matters is God and His presence in my life,”
...the place where we awaken with God’s purposes in mind, praying:
“What do you want me to do, say, and be today in order to bring You glory?”
At that point we are in a submission:
We desire God to produce in us the inner fruit of Christlike character...
The fruits of the Spirit described by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 listed here reflect the character of Jesus Christ:
The fruits of the Spirit described by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 listed here reflect the character of Jesus Christ:
Love: Christlike sacrificial love gives, and then gives more, and then gives still more.
When we are following Christ and His example, we can pour out this kind of love on others...
Joy: Every time we are broken by God and sin is defeated in our lives, joy is the outcome.
And when we are full of joy, people notice and are drawn to the Lord, the source of our joy...
Peace: When we submit our lives completely to Christ, we choose to trust that He is in control, and we are able to rest in His arms.
Being at peace in one’s spirit is a countercultural and appealing trait in this pressure-filled world.
Patience: When we know that we are God’s for all eternity, we are much more inclined to wait on Him for what He has for us in this life, and we can be patient with others who we think are interfering with our plans.
Kindness: Brokenness brings us to the place where we realize we have no rights; we have turned them over to God.
We no longer insist on having our own way or getting what we want when we want it.
When we are following Christ and His example, we can pour out this kind of love on others...
Joy: Every time we are broken by God and sin is defeated in our lives, joy is the outcome.
And when we are full of joy, people notice and are drawn to the Lord, the source of our joy...
Peace: When we submit our lives completely to Christ, we choose to trust that He is in control, and we are able to rest in His arms.
Being at peace in one’s spirit is a countercultural and appealing trait in this pressure-filled world.
Patience: When we know that we are God’s for all eternity, we are much more inclined to wait on Him for what He has for us in this life, and we can be patient with others who we think are interfering with our plans.
Kindness: Brokenness brings us to the place where we realize we have no rights; we have turned them over to God.
We no longer insist on having our own way or getting what we want when we want it.
As a result, we are kinder to others...
Goodness: When God breaks us, we realize that God alone is good and that the only good we have in us is because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
The Spirit’s presence in us gives us the desire to do good works, make good decisions, and come up with good solutions.
The goodness of God also compels us to look for the good in others and to encourage them, to help those in need, to pray for those who don’t know the Lord and to seek justice on behalf of those who are oppressed.
Faithfulness: A broken spirit enables us to say:
“I am truly Yours, Lord.
You alone are God, and I never want to stray.”
The Holy Spirit produces in us a desire to be in close relationship with the Father and to never leave Him, not for a moment.
In human relationships, our faithfulness may be evident in our integrity and being true to our word.
Gentleness: We are able to be gracious and gentle with others when we have experienced brokenness because we recognize that God has been gracious and gentle with us.
Self-control: When we turn total control of our lives over to God, He gives us self-control, the ability to say no to Satan’s temptations, and the capacity to resist evil.
This self-control makes it easier for us to live in a way that honours God and respects others.
In addition to producing this fruit in us, God breaks our voracious hunger to satisfy our own longings and desires.
He breaks us so we will want what He wants, and we discover that God wants us to have what we need and what will bring us joy.
Brokenness changes our desires...
Brokenness causes us to consider the fruitfulness of our witness...
The outer fruit that God calls us to produce is to declare His truth and to meet the needs of those we encounter who are in need.
Goodness: When God breaks us, we realize that God alone is good and that the only good we have in us is because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
The Spirit’s presence in us gives us the desire to do good works, make good decisions, and come up with good solutions.
The goodness of God also compels us to look for the good in others and to encourage them, to help those in need, to pray for those who don’t know the Lord and to seek justice on behalf of those who are oppressed.
Faithfulness: A broken spirit enables us to say:
“I am truly Yours, Lord.
You alone are God, and I never want to stray.”
The Holy Spirit produces in us a desire to be in close relationship with the Father and to never leave Him, not for a moment.
In human relationships, our faithfulness may be evident in our integrity and being true to our word.
Gentleness: We are able to be gracious and gentle with others when we have experienced brokenness because we recognize that God has been gracious and gentle with us.
Self-control: When we turn total control of our lives over to God, He gives us self-control, the ability to say no to Satan’s temptations, and the capacity to resist evil.
This self-control makes it easier for us to live in a way that honours God and respects others.
In addition to producing this fruit in us, God breaks our voracious hunger to satisfy our own longings and desires.
He breaks us so we will want what He wants, and we discover that God wants us to have what we need and what will bring us joy.
Brokenness changes our desires...
Brokenness causes us to consider the fruitfulness of our witness...
The outer fruit that God calls us to produce is to declare His truth and to meet the needs of those we encounter who are in need.
We are to be ready witnesses to God’s love and power.
We are to reflect God’s compassion with our actions when someone needs help, with our lifestyles as unbelievers watch us, with service that builds up the body of Christ, and with our words when someone asks us about our hope, joy, or love.
Again, the reason for brokenness is so that we might realize that the life we live is not our life: it is Jesus’ life.
And we must surrender on a daily basis to the life that He desires to live through us.
Then, what we discover through brokenness is that when we truly submit our will to Jesus’ will and allow Him to work through us, our service to others has much greater power and effectiveness.
The way to the blessing of a new character — the character of the Lord Jesus Christ himself — and of a new power in your personal ministry and service to others is going to be a path that involves brokenness.
God has no other plan for us.
That results in the Outer Fruit of God’s Inner Presence...solely reliant upon His' Leading...
The state of brokenness is not proof that God is mad at you.
He allows brokenness in us as a tool to make us more like Himself, more the way we were created to be, less reliant on ourselves, to bring Him glory, and to bless us.
Blessing and relationship are always God’s biggest desires for us.
That results in the Outer Fruit of God’s Inner Presence...
Shalom & Maranatha
We are to reflect God’s compassion with our actions when someone needs help, with our lifestyles as unbelievers watch us, with service that builds up the body of Christ, and with our words when someone asks us about our hope, joy, or love.
Again, the reason for brokenness is so that we might realize that the life we live is not our life: it is Jesus’ life.
And we must surrender on a daily basis to the life that He desires to live through us.
Then, what we discover through brokenness is that when we truly submit our will to Jesus’ will and allow Him to work through us, our service to others has much greater power and effectiveness.
The way to the blessing of a new character — the character of the Lord Jesus Christ himself — and of a new power in your personal ministry and service to others is going to be a path that involves brokenness.
God has no other plan for us.
That results in the Outer Fruit of God’s Inner Presence...solely reliant upon His' Leading...
The state of brokenness is not proof that God is mad at you.
He allows brokenness in us as a tool to make us more like Himself, more the way we were created to be, less reliant on ourselves, to bring Him glory, and to bless us.
Blessing and relationship are always God’s biggest desires for us.
That results in the Outer Fruit of God’s Inner Presence...
Shalom & Maranatha
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