Work Is A Gift From God

Work is a Gift from God

Wisdom from God: OT + NT = Bible. God speaks to us.

"Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart." Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

1. It is right to work and make money.

"So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'" Luke 19:13

"And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'" Luke 19:15-17

A mina (pound) was about three months wages. Jesus teaches us to use our resources and abilities wisely and to make a profit. The same is true of the Lord’s church. It is Jesus Himself who is the Gospel Truth we take to the world.

"For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." Luke 19:26

2. Not a workaholic or a religious fanatic.

"...then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." Deuteronomy 8:17-18

"Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?" Ecclesiastes 7:16-17

"Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." Matt 16:6

"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using-- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." Col 2:20-23

3. God gives some great wealth.

"For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind." Ecclesiastes 2:26

"Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity." Ecclesiastes 2:18-19

4. The right way to live.

"Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. I returned and saw under the sun that-- The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them." Ecclesiastes 9:9-12

"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart,
And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity." Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

What Does The Bible Say

What Does The Bible Say?

This is my Bible.

God is speaking to me.

I read about God.

I read about myself.

I read about sin & salvation.

I read about Eternal Life.

I read about faith and hope and love.

1. Newspaper

a) Read to understand. "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him." Acts 8:30-31

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price." Isaiah 55:1

"Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:13-14

"They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Rev 7:16-17

b) Not to argue. "Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers." 2 Tim 2:14


2. Letter from God

"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." Rev 1:19

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4

"So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement." Acts 15:30-31

"Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." John 14:23-24



3. Mystery revealed "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-- to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen." Romans 16:25-27

"And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people." 2 Cor 6:16

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" 1 Cor 10:16

"Communion: At the Communion (Lord’s Supper) there is real participation in the Body and Blood of Christ. Just as Christ’s human body is united to Him, so we are united to Him. As many grains become one loaf, those who take communion become one in Christ." Wallerstedt

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:1-4

Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance

Godly sorrow produces repentance.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." Acts 17:30-31



1. God wants us to change our hearts and lives.

The inspired writers wrote in Greek. Note how the translators use words to bring out the meaning of the original text.

"When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." Acts 11:18 (NKJV)

"When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, "We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life." Acts 11:18 (NLT)

"Once the apostles and other believers heard this, they calmed down. They praised God and concluded, "So then God has enabled Gentiles to change their hearts and lives so that they might have new life." Acts 11:18 (CEV)

[Campbell said to repent meant to reform.]

2. Godly sorrow brings us to God.

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'" Luke 18:13 

Some mistakenly think of repentance as the sorrow of the mourner’s bench and confuse it with James 5:1. One young man said if you did not weep and howl your baptism was not valid.

"For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." 2 Cor 7:10

"For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death." 2 Cor 7:10 (NLT)

"Feeling sorry is not enough. Heartfelt godly sorrow produces repentance and diligence. True repentance (change your heart and mind) cleanses us from sin and alienation, and diligence zealously pursues holiness and reconciliation. We hereby continue on the path of salvation to eternal life. The sorrow of the world is feeling sorry we were caught. It centers upon ourselves (selfishness), our embarrassment over the predicament we find ourselves in. It stops short of repentance and reconciliation with God." Wallerstedt

3. Confident Desperation.

"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:24-25

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Gal 5:16-18

"By the flesh, Paul does not mean the body. The flesh here is a general term for evil actions, the depraved will, the slothful and careless soul - things that are under one’s control, not part of human nature. The flesh is crucified with Christ (verse 24). It is not human nature that is mortified, but its evil deeds." Wallerstedt

"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Gal 6:1-2

"So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:12-13

Wallerstedt on James 2:8-13. "The true standard of judgment is perfect faith manifested in perfect works. The royal law (verse 8), the law of liberty (verse 12), is the second great commandment of Christ: love your neighbor (John 13:34). The standard by which we judge is that by which we will be judged. The mercy we give will be the mercy we receive."

4. God’s Great Plan.

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." John 6:37

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." John 6:44-45

THE EGYPT PRINCIPLE

The Egypt Principle

"God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform." Old proverb.

"Say, for example, He wants you to go to Egypt. If that’s the case, He will provide you with 11 jealous brothers, and they’ll sell you into slavery." Rich Mullins

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20

1. Joseph continued to trust God.

In moments of crisis, we can base our actions on how we have sensed God moving, and also on the God-given faith we find within ourselves.

"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday." Psalms 37:5-6

"Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." Phil 4:11-12

a) Life seemed very unfair and destructive.

"Consolation is understood not as happy feelings, but that which opens us up to God and others. Even difficult circumstances can lead to consolation if we sense God in them."

Consolation: "comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment; encouragement."

b) Joseph continued to do right things.

Slavery;

Potiphar’s wife;

prison;

prophecy;

obedience.

c) God raised Joseph up to be second to Pharaoh in command of Egypt. Joseph prepared Egypt for the coming world famine.

d) God brought Jacob and all his family to Egypt. God’s promise to Abraham was being fulfilled. The Jews became a great nation as slaves. They were being prepared for Canaan.

"And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect."

Gal 3:17

2. God is at work in our world today.

"I don’t think God’s plan for you has to be complicated. God’s will is that you love Him with all your heart and soul and mind, and also that you love your neighbor as yourself. Get busy with that, and then, if God wants you to do something unusual, He’ll take care of it." Rich Mullins

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." James 4:13-15

"Without forgetting the deep differences that divide us, now as never before we are called to stand and work together for the cause of Christ in a broken world." WYD


"And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment." 1 John 3:22-23

3. Sons and daughters of encouragement.

"And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet." Acts 4:36-37

"Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." Acts 11:22-26

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

BEFORE YOU CALL I WILL ANSWER

Before you call, I will answer!

"It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24

"God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to You; even from a distance, You know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of Your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there, too—Your reassuring presence —coming and going." Psalms 139:1-5 (MSG)

1. God hears our prayers.

"Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering." Dan 9:20-21

"An answer was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one. We cannot now expect that God should send answers to our prayers by angels, but if we pray with fervency for that which God has promised, we may by faith take the promise as an immediate answer to the prayer; for He is faithful that has promised. Daniel had a far greater and more glorious redemption discovered to him, which God would work out for his church in the latter days. Those who would be acquainted with Christ and his grace, must be much in prayer. The evening offering was a type of the great sacrifice Christ was to offer in the evening of the world: in virtue of that sacrifice Daniel's prayer was accepted; and for the sake of that, this glorious discovery of redeeming love was made to him." — Henry

"About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God." Acts 10:3-4

"His devotion did not make him a Christian, but his prayers and alms came up 'for a memorial before God.' God rewarded his devotion by bringing Peter to him to explain more fully the way of Christ." Wallerstedt

"Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake." Rev 8:3-5

God is responding to their prayers (Rev. 6:9-11). The martyrs are to have patience until God's Plan has completed His Purpose.

2. God understands us.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
Romans 8:26

The Holy Spirit not only brings us strength, He empowers us in our weakness, especially by helping us to pray, even when we cannot find words to speak. Setbacks and difficulties there will be (John 16:33), but God will continue to help us.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Heb 4:15-16

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15

"What about those fellow Christians who are not living righteously? John says God will forgive them if fellow Christians pray for them. Sin leading to death - that which is beyond our prayer - is willful, continual disbelief in the grace of the Holy Spirit toward us. (See Matt. 12:28-32; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31). Wallerstedt on 1 John 5:14-17.

3. Times of testing.

"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Rev 3:10

"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

TIMOTHY - YOUTH

Let no one despise or think less of you


"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ...." Eph 4:11-12

Timothy (a teenager) was to be one of the chief coworkers with Paul. Since Timothy was partly of Jewish heritage, Paul had him circumcised. But Titus (another coworker) was Gentile, and Paul refused his circumcision (Gal. 2:3). Timothy was with Paul on his second missionary journey (1 Thess 3:1-2), his third journey (1 Cor 4:17), and his Roman captivity (Phil. 2:19-22).


1. Why had Timothy not been circumcised by his parents?


"Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek." Acts 16:3

J.G.Malphurs thought that Timothy’s family became Christians at Pentecost in Acts 2.

"From this it seems that both the mother and grandmother had preceded him into the kingdom; for it is clearly of their faith in Christ, and not of their Jewish faith, that Paul here speaks. With such an example before him, it is not surprising that the young disciple should be found well attested by all the brethren who knew him. The fact that he was thus attested not only at Derbe and Lystra, within the vicinity of his residence, but also in the more distant city of Iconium, renders it probable that he was already known as a public speaker." McGarvey


2. Young, but with the authority of God.


"Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." 1 Tim 4:12-16

Do not let. "Do not let anyone ignore what you say just because you are young. Use your authority, which belongs to the rank of an evangelist." Timothy was probably in his early thirties, but the first century worshipped age. Anyone under fifty years old was "just a kid." Compare John 8:57. The church leaders were probably all older than he was, and there was a real danger that they (or the false teachers especially) would look down on him. But be an example. "Your life should be good enough to set a pattern for others." 13. To the public reading. Since the printing-press had not yet been invented, books were handmade and scarce. Public reading of the Scriptures was an important part of the church meeting. 14. Do not neglect. "Do not fail to make use of the spiritual gift that you received when I laid my hands on you (2 Tim. 1:6), at the time you were publicly identified (ordained) as an evangelist of the Good News Gospel." Compare notes on Acts 13:1-3; 16:l-3.


3. Entrust the Faith to reliable people.


JESUS is the Truth. "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
John 14:6

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men (anthropos = both men and women) who will be able to teach others also." 2 Tim 2:1-2

a) As for you, my son. The Circumcision Party (Judaizers) in the province of Asia had all rejected Paul as apostle (Acts 15:1-2), therefore he will no longer be able to reason with them and oppose their false teaching. This burden must now fall on the shoulders of Timothy (and others like him). Paul is intensely anxious about how Timothy will act in the future. This does not mean that Paul expects him to fail, but he feels about this as a father whose son goes off to war. b) Take the words. Paul sees apostolic succession as a matter of teaching, not of administration. What Paul preached was the Good News of God’s act in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21) and all that formed part of this (verse 8). In other words, it is the entire New Testament. [Timothy died about the time the last Book was written, but he had been taught everything that would be in it.] Timothy is to pick those who can be trusted and pass on this message. The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11).

"To you and to all, I repeat: never yield to discouragement, do not lose trust, do not allow your hope to be extinguished. Situations can change, people can change. Be the first to seek to bring good, do not grow accustomed to evil, but defeat it." WYD

GOD's CHASTENING

Do Not Despise God’s Chastening


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne." Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

"We’re signing up for God’s Permanent New World package. So let’s show some gratitude. Let’s work for Him out of respect for who He is. Like Moses said, "Our God is a raging forest fire."
Lacey

1. Jesus the Suffering Servant.

"He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:3-5

"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Hebrews 2:14-15

2. God loves us with a tough-love.

[Tough love is an expression used when someone treats another person harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run. The phrase was evidently coined by Bill Milliken when he wrote the book Tough Love in 1968 and has been used by numerous authors since then.]

"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" Romans 2:4

"You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
Hebrews 12:4-6; the quotation is Prov. 3:11-12.

We each have ailments. But we could make a long list of those ailments we do not have.

"No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." 1 Tim 5:23

a) Have you forgotten? "You know, if you will remember, that sufferings are evidences of God’s love for you."

b) When the Lord. "Do not think sufferings just as accidental acts of blind fate (as the Gentiles do)." [Romans 8:18-23]

c) Discouraged. "This is not God’s wrath for your sin. See what Jesus said in Luke 13:1-5."

d) Because. "Instead of being expressions of His anger, punishments (chastisements) are proof of His love."

MacKnight says: "This scripture, by showing God’s Providence to be just and righteous, dispels the gloom which the misery and suffering which are part of life, may bring on us. We are here being trained and developed, by God who is our teacher. He uses the problems and suffering of life to teach us the good qualities and the character to serve Him in this world, and to enjoy the pleasures of the next. May every suffering child of God understand this and believe it."

e) That God is treating you as children. "He is giving you His blessing by causing you to grow spiritually." Who was not punished (chastised) by his father, who wanted to correct his faults and develop his character?

In the care of. "Our fathers punished us for our faults and we respected them." How much more. "Our spiritual Father uses more love and gentleness than our human fathers, and he will not give us more than we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13)."

f) But God does it. "We must be holy to live with Him in Eternity." Forgiveness and holiness (sanctification) takes place in the mind of God. He has put us in a world of Time and is making us perfect (complete, mature) to come to His Eternal City.

"But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25

"The faith that saves is a complete faith. Not just the mind believing and the tongue confessing, but the whole man trusting in the living God. Our faith grows and impacts our actions, or it dies." Wallerstedt