His Dislikes vs His Delights

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ Matt.5:10 [NIV]

God allows us to go through persecutions in different forms and shapes so that it can bring about what He is working in us. For some of us the gospel that was preached to us was that once Jesus is in your life everything will be perfect. I used to say that also. But God’s Word guarantees that ‘…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ 2 Tim.3:12. The reality is that you will still face trials when you give your life to Christ but everything will be all right eventually. Some people will think you are crazy. They cannot understand your commitment. Are you the one that killed Jesus? These people are not necessarily devils; in fact some of them are Christians who simply cannot understand your devotion to Christ Jesus. Jesus too had to endure these kinds of persecutions; in actual fact the fiercest opposition He faced was from religious leaders. You need to know that sometimes God permits His dislikes to bring about His delight in our lives. God wants us to be shaped like Jesus. He wants us to be refined like gold so He allows us to go through fire all the while keeping His focus on what we will become. God doesn’t want us to suffer but sometimes He permits us to suffer so that we can bring forth His delight and so we can be the people God has called us to be. God is more interested in your character than in your comfort. God is more interested in your holiness than in your happiness. So you and I can get to the point where, like Jesus says, ‘man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Living God’. Some of us are too concerned about our happiness but God is focused on our holiness. A lot of us are so concerned about our comfort and convenience but God is more concerned about our character. So if He needs to make us uncomfortable, guess what, He will. Accept the Father’s love for you because at the end of the day you are going to come out purer. Accept the fact that people are going to criticize you, persecute you, but make sure you are listening to and focusing on God alone.

Prayer: Father, I ask for the grace to endure the dislikes that You have permitted in my life to bring about Your delights, in Jesus Name.