Spiritual Growth Spurts
Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” God manifests His presence during the difficult times of life. As a believer, the question becomes: How has He matured you through those events?
The Bible reveals there are at least four ways the Lord uses difficult times to bring about spiritual growth spurts. First, God refines us in character—“Behold, I have refined you … I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10) It has been said that adversity is often the anvil on which strength is created. When Paul struggled with a physical ailment, he was told, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Second, God trains us in righteousness—“No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful … afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:11) Sometimes you feel as though God has no sooner gotten you on your feet that He knocks you back down. But He may simply be strengthening you for the future. Third, God prepares us for ministry—“[He] comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4) We have experiences that are difficult to handle, and the temptation is to tell God that He’s ruining everything. At those times, you can find strength and peace if you acknowledge God’s plan and trust that He is preparing you. Fourth, God teaches us the truth—“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71) It is through difficult experiences that we see life differently. Martin Luther King declared, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” What have been some of your growth spurts?
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
