Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Woodrow Kroll
Consider Your Salvation
The Apostle Peter wanted us to think about how great of a salvation that we’ve been granted, and wrote “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully” (1st Pet 1:10). These are things that the angels don’t fully understand as Peter wrote; “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look” (1st Pet 1:12).
Praise Him in the Storm
Think about how Job could have turned into a sour, bitter old man after he had lost everything, including his ten children? Instead he says, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15), because he understood, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21), just as the Apostle Paul wrote that “we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (1st Tim 6:7).
Choosing Contentment
The Apostle Paul had been unjustly beaten, flogged, stoned, and even imprisoned, yet he still said “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil 4:11). How did he do this? He trusted in God’s sovereignty and knew that nothing happened outside of the sovereign will of God, so Paul could say, “if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these” (1st Tim 6:8).
Making the Bitter Sweet
Some people have a knack for making lemonade out of lemons. Instead of making them bitter, it makes them better. How so? It’s because most believers understand that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Joseph understood that God used the evil of his brothers actions for God’s own good (Gen 50:20). Just take a look at the bitter experiences of Jesus and how His crucifixion turned out for so much good for us (John 3:16).
Conclusion
If we consider just how great of a salvation that we have in Christ and praise Him in the storms of life, and then decide to choose contentment rather than discontentment, we can turn the most bitter of experiences in life into the sweetest thing this side of heaven.
