“These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold. . .may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed: (I Peter 1:7).I enjoy popcorn in any season of the year, but for some reason I associate it with fall and winter the most. Interestingly enough, a recent children’s sermon I heard in church gave me some thoughts on popcorn and my life.
Popcorn must be heated to pop. We all know the sensation of biting down on an unpopped kernel. I have almost lost a few teeth that way! Kernels need to pop to be good. We have also probably tasted popcorn that has been heated too long. In my opinion, nothing smells worse than burned popcorn and it doesn’t taste too good either. The key to perfect popcorn is having it heated for just the right amount of time (and adding some salt and butter of course!).
The “heat” of my earthly trials is going to affect me. If I don’t allow them to “pop” me and accomplish their work, I will not grow in perseverance and maturity (James 1:2-4). Likewise, if I allow my trials to overwhelm me and become overly burdened by them rather than trusting in God’s wisdom, I may get burned.
God is in control of the heat in my life. Just as we should never leave our popcorn unattended on the stove or in the microwave, God never leaves me unattended. He never brings more than I can handle, even if that seems to be the case at the moment. God will sustain me through the pain and sufferings in my life, even when I feel the popping is too painful. And as others look at my life, they may even be able to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may I believe these words in faith today: “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine” (hymn - How Firm A Foundation).
No comments:
Post a Comment