Better Not Bitter

If you’ve been a Christian at any length of time then you know that struggles are real. However, it rains on the just and unjust. The lost also have their own set of struggles. The joy is that if you’re a Christian then you’ve got someone that can help you through those struggles.

 

The Apostle Paul had seen things that no one has ever seen before. He saw things so wondrous and glorious. There are times when we come through a battle on the good we might boast about what we think we did. This is never the case because God is the only way you could have gotten through the battle.

 

When you are struggling in some battle and you ask God to help you, He will either deliver you or keep you in it for growth. Paul had a thorn in his flesh, a battle or struggle that he wanted God to remove. Now while we are suffering we don’t see that God is working each time. It’s not until we get through it and look back that we see the hand of God helping us through.

 

Paul prayed at least three times earnestly for his struggle to be removed. At the end of our prayers, we should always ask God’s will to be done. Each time we pray we should always keep in mind that God at times says, No. We should keep ourselves in check to make sure that when God doesn’t answer us the way we want to not become bitter towards Him. There is never a time that God doesn’t hear you as long as you come to Him holy. God does not close off His ears because if He did then it would go against His word. We don’t know the mind of God, but we know that knows what’s best for us at ALL times.

 

In Paul’s mind, he felt these thorns were bad, a weakness to himself. The one thing he didn’t know is that those thorns through God kept him strong. How many knows what will happen in our future? We don’t even know what will happen in the next second let alone a year from now. God is the only one that knows what the future holds. God doesn’t make mistakes and He’s not going to start with you. Thank God that He doesn’t do everything that we ask from Him.

 

Based on God’s merit we know that He is perfect and good. He’s not going to do something or not do something that goes against what we know He is. God is ALWAYS good! 

 

Paul did something that we should all do, he embraced his struggles. He realized that once God answered him he knew that God loved him. He didn’t become bitter or mad at God for not removing his struggles. He wrapped his arms around the struggles he was having and took pleasure in them. These struggles made Paul better thru Christ.

 

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