Jack County Cowboy Church

Most of us don’t think this way. We are surprised when trials come, how they come, and where they come from. We think we do not deserve them. Peter wants us to understand that nothing moves us closer to Christ than when we go through hard times. It’s not that suffering in and of itself that brings us to Christ; it’s what suffering does to us and in us. When we are flat on our faces, having been knocked down again and again, at some point if we truly know the Lord, we lay aside our pride and in sheer desperation, we cry out to God for help. Most of us can identify with that famous poem about the footprints in the sand. At first there were two sets of footprints—ours and the Lord’s. Then there was only one set. And when we asked God why he left us alone when we needed him most, he replied, “When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” God allows us to go through hard times so that we will be like Christ. It is hard for us to make it to heaven. We barely make it through this sinful world. It is only by Jesus’ blood, God’s Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit that we survive the trials of life. We suffer a little and then we enter glory. But for those who don’t know the Lord, this world is the only heaven they will ever know. When they die, they enter eternal torment. Right now that may not seem to be the case because unbelievers take God’s patience for granted. The day is coming when God’s patience will run out. Be committed to God.