Apples of Gold

John Piper, in his book Don't Waste Your Life says this concerning God supplying our needs and the trouble and afflictions that we have in this life.

"Affliction raised his sword to cut off the head of Paul’s faith. But instead the hand of faith snatched the arm of affliction and forced it to cut off part of Paul’s worldliness. Affliction is made the servant of godliness and humility and love. Satan meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. The enemy became Paul’s slave and worked for him and even greater weight of glory than he would have ever had without the fight. In that way Paul – and every follower of Christ is more than a conqueror."

I finished chapter 6 of Matthew last Sunday night preaching of the portion of the Sermon of the Mount that deals with worry and anxiety. Worry is a dreadful sin because it effects the body, soul and spirit. Anxiety can cripple us. Paul had much he COULD have been anxious about, but He trusted in God and glorified Him in all aspects of life. Oh that we could live with such faith!

The fact that we cannot change anything by worry, shows a lack of faith when we do, and wasted time for us. When we first seek the kingdom of God, our focus leaves the physical, and the temporary, and focus our eye (making it single) of the eternal Glory of Christ and whether we have much or nothing, health or sickness, we are more than conquerors in Christ, and even see the trouble as God’s mercy to us, because we don’t even deserve the blessings viz food, drink, clothes, health, that God mercifully has given us.

You, who have faith in Christ for your eternal soul’s salvation, at what cost do you have that salvation? The Father, sent the Son, into this wicked sin cursed world, to die for those who loved him not, who knew him not. The Spirit, quickens God’s chosen that they may repent and believe in Christ. All this was done for the children of God. Take that in consideration, and then consider that God will provide the food for birds, simple birds. Here’s the lesser to the greater. If God will provide for the birds, will he not provide for you? Are you not greater than the birds? Why then worry about it?
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Douglas Newell IV