I did not write this, I'm just passing along the message. Mostly because I need to be reminded of this most at times.
And for the atheist people in my life who think they're owed things or that God doesn't exist simply because their life isn't working out as they hoped...
God Never Promised It Would Be Easy
God never promised our lives would be easy.
He never promised you’d be happy.
He never promised that you’d find success at work or school.
He never promised you’d find a college or job after graduation.
He never promised you’d make the sale if you worked really hard.
He never promised your family would stick together.
Many people just assume they will enjoy success, health, and happiness. In fact, nobody looks forward to tough times or would willingly take a step down a painful road. But God can use all circumstances to train us—to discipline us—to make us better, to become more like him. Here’s what he HAS promised:
You will face discipline: "Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?" (Hebrews 12:7, NRSV)
You will face difficulties: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)
He knows the answer to the “whys” and knows what the end results will be: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philip. 1:6, NIV)
God never promised life would be easy. But he did promise to discipline us, to refine us, to grow us in our faith. And while we don’t know what the end result looks like, we know God is ultimately good and has our best in mind. Do you want to know God’s will for your life? It's pretty simple. Jesus didn’t die to make you good, happy, or successful in this world. He died to make you more like him:
1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (NRSV)
by Christopher Hudson
(c) www.TheBiblePeople.com
