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| April 21, 2001 |
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| "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1Corinthians 10:13 Rejections, defeats, and failures that all of us have experienced can create enough negative feelings to destroy us. Be careful! Often the most painful wounds are not the scars that are outwardly seen, but the hidden wounds deep in the heart. Being hidden, they are often the most dangerous. Setbacks in our lives can take the joy out of living. Our faith is weakened, and if we collect enough hurts it will stop us from wanting to press forward. Even success can make one the target of criticism. Do not let the hurts hurt you!! Let's look at Job. A man of the land of Uz, blameless, upright, one who feared God, and one who turned away from evil. Job had seven sons and three daughters, a beautiful family. He was considered "the greatest of all the men of the east." He lost it all in the twinkling of an eye! He lost his health, wealth, and family. He hurt! His wife hurt! His friends hurt! He was knocked down ~ but not out! He had lost some of the passionate power to grow and some of his enthusiasm had diminished, but he checked his negative thinking and that of his wife and friends and stated, "I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful." You may ask, "How could he after undergoing so much hurt?" How did Job do it? The same way we can do it ~ through faith! Faith is the only thing that can heal the hurts. Job scraped the barnacles off! It was painful ~ the scars would remain, but life was put back together. Strong belief in God was the medicine, the antedote! His wife and friends could not do it ~ only God could! Job said, "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee" (Job 42:2). Paul told the Corinthians, ". . . God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. .. he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." The Lord blessed the latter days of Job (42:12) with great material blessings, and it was said of his new daughters that "in all the land no women were found so fair. . ." Job lived 140 years after the hurts and saw sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons. We can also forget our hurts, leave off our sad countenance, and be cheerful if we will turn to God for our strength to do so. God Bless you as you look to God and trust in Him for your strength in everything you do! <J><E><S><U><S>< <S><A><V><E><S>< |