I am currently spending time reading two different books as well
as reading through the book of Matthew.
This morning my quiet time is occasionally interrupted by questions from
my Grandma who is staying with us for the weekend. Her short term memory is not present so we
answer the same questions over and over again… what a blessing it is to spend
time with her. It is a reminder of how quickly we forget and how God patiently responds to us.
One of the books I am reading is called, The Ways of God
(Finding Purpose through you Pain).
Enduring trial after trial can be draining which is why time with the
Lord is so important. He has blessed me
beyond belief even in the midst of difficulties.
One of the quotes really hit me this week. “God uses suffering to purge sin from our
lives, strengthen our commitment to him, force us to depend on his grace, bind
us together with other believers, produce discernment, foster sensitivity,
discipline our minds, impart wisdom, stretch our hope, cause us to know Christ
better, make us long for truth, lead us to repentance of sin, teach us to give
thanks in times of sorrow, increase our faith, and strengthen our character.” –
God uses the suffering to do a great work in our lives… I pray I can keep my
focus on this and find the joy in the trials.
The other book I am reading about is on forgiveness. This chapter is on forgiving others as we
have been forgiven. 1 John 1:8 says, “If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” It is when we quit trying to justify our own
sins and blaming everyone else that we can realize our own need for
forgiveness. As long as we think that it
is always someone else’s fault we will be deceiving ourselves. If I ever think I am guiltless and it is
completely the other person’s fault, than I am deceiving myself. I can’t for anyone to recognize their own
faults but I can choose to recognize my own.
My prayer to God: Lord, help me to recognize my own
imperfections so that I can be quick to forgive others their imperfections…
knowing you have forgiven me. Remove the
pain from the past and help me to live in the joy of today.
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