"That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed there unto"


BIBLE READING: 1 Thessalonians 3

We all love the sunshine, but the Arabs have a proverb that "all sunshine makes the desert."  It is a matter for common observation that the graces of Christian living are more often apparent in the cases of those who have passed through great tribulation.  God desires to get the richest crops possible from the soil of our natures.  There are certain plants of the Christian life, such as meekness, gentleness, kindness, humility, which cannot come to perfection if the sun of prosperity always shines.
We often shrank from lessons we were taught in school.  We looked out the windows longing for the hour of release.  But now, how thankful we are for the tutors and teachers who kept us steadily at our tasks.  We feel almost kindly to the principal that we once dreaded.  Similarly, we usually most appreciate the teachers that were strict.  "We have had fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence:  shall we not much more rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, who chastens for our profit, and live?"
The tears of those who suffer according to the will of God are spiritual lenses.  As the weights of the clock or the ballast in the vessel are necessary for the right ordering, so is trouble in the soul.  The sweetest scents are only obtained by tremendous pressure.  The fairest flowers grow in Alpine solitude.  The rarest gems have suffered longest from the jeweler's wheel.  The noblest statues have been borne of the most blows from the sculptor.  All, however, is under law.  Nothing happens that has not been appointed with skilled care and forethought.





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