... a weekly letter of encouragement.
7 January, 1998 - Singapore
Good Morning!
WHY DOES IT OFTEN TAKE A CRISIS BEFORE WE ARE WILLING TO
TOTALLY SURRENDER OUR LIVES TO GOD?
- A disintegrating marriage
- One of our kids in serious trouble
- A failed business venture
- Cancer
Am I correct in hypothesizing that the more talented we are,
the more difficult we find it is to depend upon God?
After all, if we can "make things happen"
why would we need to totally trust God?
Apparently the massively gifted St. Paul shared the same struggle,
armed as he was with a pedigree background, the equivalent of
two or three Ph.D's, and political connections that would be the
envy of any power broker!
SO GOD, IN HIS COMPASSION DISCIPLINED PAUL BY BRINGING HIM
TO THE BRINK:
"We do not want you to be uninformed...about the hardship
we suffered...We were under great pressure, far beyond
our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death...
"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves
but on God..." (2 Cor.1:8,9)
So...if you tend toward cool-headed self-reliance that pushes
God to the edge of your daily experience, hold on to your hat:
Your loving Heavenly Father is committed to using or arranging
the tough circumstances of life to teach you,
"NOT TO RELY ON YOURSELF BUT ON GOD."
Let's just hope that the damage to ourselves
and others before the turn around is not irreparable!
My prayer is that you are having a great week!
1 Coleman Street #02-34, The Adelphi - Singapore 0617
Phone: 337 6498; Fax: 336 9913
© Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or
use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
