God's Great Love for Us - Isaiah 53-55 and II Thessalonians 1
Many times we misunderstand God's love for us. We tend to think that God will deliver us from all pain and suffering, if He really loves us. That is not the case at all. He knows that there are times when pain and suffering are necessary for His will to be accomplished and for us to come to know Him better. Please, remember God is there to walk with you through the pain, if you will take Him by the hand. Sometimes, He even carries you, when you could not have made it yourself.
Look at Jesus in Isaiah 53. Every facet of His suffering was needed to bring about redemption from our sins. He endured it all, knowing that God was using it for His glory and to provide salvation for those who trust Him. In the end Jesus could declare that He was finished with His work, and God could exalt Him above all others. None of this could have happened without suffering, and none of it would have happened without the great love of God. We can go to Him at any time with the assurance that He loves us, and He has our best interests at heart. He is always working to bring about His perfect will, which is for everyone to know Him. However, there are many who reject Him, because they can't understand Him, or they want their own way. That is tragic! They need to know that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. We will never understand Him fully, but we can know enough to trust Him completely.
Paul was rejoicing in the faith and love of the believers at Thessalonica. He had even bragged about them to other people. They did not have faith without suffering, but they had faith in their suffering. Paul urged them to hold out, knowing that God would make it all right in the end. They were to go on for His glory, not for their own comfort. God would take care of their persecutors. God would strengthen them and give them glory as they trusted Him. God does not share His glory, but He gives us glory when we follow Him, just like He gave Jesus glory for dying for us. Let's glory in the love of God. Let's remain faithful when we don't understand. Let's live for Him who loved us enough to die for us and forgive our sins. That is real life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 56-58 and II Thessalonians 2.
Look at Jesus in Isaiah 53. Every facet of His suffering was needed to bring about redemption from our sins. He endured it all, knowing that God was using it for His glory and to provide salvation for those who trust Him. In the end Jesus could declare that He was finished with His work, and God could exalt Him above all others. None of this could have happened without suffering, and none of it would have happened without the great love of God. We can go to Him at any time with the assurance that He loves us, and He has our best interests at heart. He is always working to bring about His perfect will, which is for everyone to know Him. However, there are many who reject Him, because they can't understand Him, or they want their own way. That is tragic! They need to know that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. We will never understand Him fully, but we can know enough to trust Him completely.
Paul was rejoicing in the faith and love of the believers at Thessalonica. He had even bragged about them to other people. They did not have faith without suffering, but they had faith in their suffering. Paul urged them to hold out, knowing that God would make it all right in the end. They were to go on for His glory, not for their own comfort. God would take care of their persecutors. God would strengthen them and give them glory as they trusted Him. God does not share His glory, but He gives us glory when we follow Him, just like He gave Jesus glory for dying for us. Let's glory in the love of God. Let's remain faithful when we don't understand. Let's live for Him who loved us enough to die for us and forgive our sins. That is real life.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 56-58 and II Thessalonians 2.