Daily Devotional

These days it is not uncommon to hear the Christian walk being touted as nothing but a prosperous one. God is love and wants the best for you so everything will always be ok. If you are really walking with God you will be rich and prosperous because He loves you and will give you all that you ask. And while there are bits of truth in all of these statements, they end up painting a picture of Christianity that is simply not Biblical, and for us in America who have a pretty good standard of living compared to the rest of the world, it can be a trap easily fallen into.

Let’s be clear, God is a loving God and does want the best for us. But just like a parent training their children, what is best for us, and what we want or think is best for us are often two different things. Correction is an essential part of growth and maturity both in life and in our spiritual walk. In Hebrews 12:11 it says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” No one likes to be corrected or disciplined, however, it is a good thing for us, and it’s for the best.

Psalms reminds us that while God does love us and wants to bless us, there will be hard and difficult times. It may be due to our sin and needing correction, or it may be testing and trials to grow us spiritually but ultimately God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, as found in Romans 8:28. Pain, sufferings, and trials are temporary but His favor is forever! We don’t know how long the pain will last, sometimes it’s short, sometimes long, but it is temporary.

As part of our sanctification, we are called to endure pains and trials with Christ’s help and for His glory. May we view the hard and difficult times as opportunities to grow, to repent, to deepen our need for and faith in Christ, and remember that while weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.