JOY IN SUFFERING #443

SURFING WITH JESUS #443100106
Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.
2355 Parkway Dr. SE
Cleveland, TN 37323
gene@SurfingwithJesus.com
www.SurfingwithJesus.com

JOY IN SUFFERING

I'm trying to write what God places on my heart today. I've been studying Paul and his writings to the Philippians. Paul is something else. Here he is in jail and he still has joy in his heart as he writes about these believers and says in Phillippians 1:3 "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

This is a personal letter with Paul thanking them for providing for him when he had a need. Paul is going thru a period of suffering but he got excited when he thought about these folks doing good as God laid him on their heart. God still does this today. God's spirit touches our hearts to do good and it is up to us to follow it to do what God lays on our heart.

In Proverbs 3:6 the writer said "In all thy (your) ways acknowledge him and he shall (will) direct thy(your) path." Proverbs 9:10 says "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might..." If Paul had allowed circumstances to take over, he would have had no joy. Suffering comes to everyone at one time or another but in our suffering we need to think of Paul and have joy knowing that God will come thru.

Another scripture in James 4:17 says "Therefore to him that knoweth (knows) to do good and doeth it not (doesn't do it), to him it is sin. It is easy to get caught up in circumstances and go down the wrong path and lose our joy. However, as we grow in Christ and desire to be more and more in Him; we find more and more joy in our journey in Him. It is exciting when we not only listen but heed the voice of the Lord as the Holy Spirit directs us.

When we reach this point in our spiritual growth we like Paul can say "I thank my God upon every rememberance of you." (Philipians 1:3).

1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

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My sole desire as I share is to uplift Christ, fellow Christians, and share the love of Jesus with others.