Thankful for the Trials

Intro

We have a growing culture in the world. One that finds comfort in not being thankful...recap last week and introduce this week.

Either coming out of trial, in trial, or working our way into one. ~Rick warren

In this life there will be troubles…

Romans 5:1–5 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

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pray

[jobpic]

Explain what I mean by trials.

Sometimes we think that trials can only be some huge thing. Lke our friend Job here…

And those huge things are trials - but often they are better deemed tragedies. Those aren’t a test, as James calls trials, but rather tragic moments when life tears pieces of us from our soul.

I explain all that out to make sure we understand the difference. You see, a tragedy isn’t a growing moment, it is just a tragedy. But trials, they are moments that we can grow. They are moments that we need to be thankful for. We need to be thankful for them, because we can never hope to overcome the worst moments of this life - those tragedies, if we don’t have a strength in God that is honed in the smaller trials that we face.

[picofbadday]

I mean, sometimes trials are just a bad day.

Maybe in a bad mood

Missed the bus. Late to work.

Got in an argument with a friend

Everyone of these things all have something in common. They are all opportunities to give in to the temptation to get angry, or to act unChristlike. [examples, brief]

These little moments, they are all an opportunity to either grow or give up. Just like when we are fighting to wake up and exercise everyday, or to study, or to apologize for troubles we might have caused. We can only grow through those hard times - those trials. But church, we will only be willing to grow, and to step up and face the trials in this life, if we become thankful for them.

[nopainnogain]

But it is hard to be thankful in the face of difficulty, right?

[talk about friends at gym….thankful for hard workouts..Their thankfulness wasn’t a reflection of their ability to perform the workout, but of their willingness to test themselves and become better]

Likewise, our thankfulness isn’t a reflection of the goodness of our situation, or of our excitement for the bad stuff in this life to happen to us, it is a reflection of the goodness of our God! And his ultimate provision for us. And His constant preparing of us to be able to handle those moments as we grow in our strength in Him!

Romans 5:1 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is why we can have peace. We know that the trials we go through aren’t intended to break us, from our God or our Faith. They are just events. And if we look at them holistically, along with all the other moments of this life, we will better see just how they can make us better love and live like God.

We can use them. The fear, the anger, the sadness - They can make us stronger if we let them. They can give us endurance and character and hope!

Every moment we are given is an opportunity to grow closer to God. Stronger in our faith. Opportunity to grow in Christ, not an opportunity to give up…

Life, and our trials in this life, they are an exercise. They are a test of endurance. Life is a constant training regime that is intended to help us to know the peace and hope that comes from God! But we need to become thankful for those tough moments, those trials, so that we can become spiritually fit - ready to face the worst of this life.

Romans 5:2–5 ESV

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

And that thankfulness, is and act started by our faith, and completed by grace alone! A constant exercising of our faith between the struggle of what we have and the goal of what God wants. We have to work that muscle out so that we can grow in our faith and life.

Bike riding. Strava Segments. Keep going up the same hills, and it never feels easier. In fact, sometimes it feels harder! But when I go back, and look at the data, I see something that reminds me of a real truth in all of our lives.

Church, the ride never gets any easier, no matter how many times I go up those hills. I just get faster.

And in our lives, the things we face, they never get any easier, we just learn to get over them faster. We learn to move beyond them faster. We become capable of leaning on God faster! Our faith shows fruit in our lives, because we learn to face those great hills in our lives with joy! We know that when we see those tests in life that we will be able to get up that hill, and it will probably hurt, but that when we get up that hill, we will be stronger for it! We will build our faith! That suffering will build endurance, and endurance will build in us character - particularly the character needed to be able to face every trial in this life, and that character will build in our hearts hope! A hope that will not only never put us to shame, but a hope that will in fact drive us through the hardest moments in this life!

But we can only get better, we can only grow if we do the little things. If we consistently approach the difficult moments in this life understanding that it might be tough, it might be a struggle up that hill - but if we approach life thankful that God has given us that hill, thankful that He has given us that challenge, then we will be able to develop our faith and grow in Him! Because church, if we keep climbing those hills. Keep doing the little things that make us stronger. Keep praying for those people who cut us off in traffic. Keep being kind to those people who hate us. Keep faithfully reading the Bible, and keep persevering in faith - through every difficult moment. When we keep cashing those little checks we will be prepared to cash the larger checks when life comes our way!

[picofcraddockquote]

Craddock - pic too

“I pictured myself standing in front of the military firing squad and being told, ‘Deny Jesus and live.’ I bravely told the story of Jesus and the command was given, ‘Ready, aim fire!’ Flags were at half mast, widows were crying, and a monument was erected where I gave my life for Christ. Nobody told me that I couldn’t give my life for Christ by writing one big check. Instead it has been decades of writing little checks. Eighty-five cents here, a dollar thirty-nine there. Giving my life for Christ has meant being faithful in the small things over and over throughout my life.”

It is that faithfulness, born from our perseverance, and our endurance through our trials. Encouraged and strengthened by the hope we have in Christ. That is how we show our gratitude to God through our trials, and in so doing, give hope to those who will no doubt face the same trials, and need God just as much as us.

[veteransday]

Hacksaw Ridge- a hope that allows us to live like Christ even when facing a world and situation that would tell us to do otherwise.

Love your life lose it...lose gain it - today we are reminded of those who have offered their lives for this world. People willing to face the trials of this life, to charge up those hills, and to willingly step into the void, understanding the blessing that is in the trials of this life.

[story from movie] Desmond Doss, an

So all those troubles at work, in relationships, in our society, in our family - all of those moments that lead us to question our God - they all remind us of how much we are growing in our faith. And how much more we have to grow.

American pacifist combat medic who, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, refused to carry or use a weapon or firearm of any kind.

So no matter what you face, rejoice. You are favored. You are loved. Keep writing those checks everyday. Be thankful for the opportunity to write them. Because it is in those checks, those trials, those opportunities to pour out our life for God and for others, that we will be remade by the Hope and life of our God.

Doss became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor, for service above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Okinawa.

[invitation]

Saved 75 soldiers

Church, he didn’t save them by not being grateful for the trials he faced! He didn’t save them by bending his conviction and giving in to the temptation to just give up, and stop listening to God! NO HE SAVED THOSE MEN BECAUSE HE WAS WILLING TO FACE THE TRIALS OF THIS LIFE THANKFUL THAT HE HAD A SAVIOR! THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PRESSED UPON BY THIS LIFE AND TO GO BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN, PRAYING EACH TIME TO BE ABLE TO JUST SAVE ONE MORE!

2 Corinthians 4:8–10 ESV

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

Understand, church, just as he, and every veteran - every servant, every marytr, every follower of our Christ - we are always carrying in our flesh the death of our Savior.

Church, just as Christ’s death is valid despite our situation, so too are our lives valid and in fact, our lives are integral to God’s plan despite what we think we can offer in that moment! And despite the trials that we might be facing!

And Church, just as Christ’s death is valid despite our situation, so too are our lives valid and in fact, our lives are integral to God’s plan despite what we think we can offer in that moment! And despite the trials that we might be facing. We are blessed to be pressed, but not crushed; persecuted but never abandoned. And we need to become more thankful for that.

We need to keep finding joy in the trials of life! Keep writing those little checks. Keep standing by the principles of Jesus! Keep forgiving blindly. Keep loving without borders! Keep praying for your enemies! Keep standing by the oppressed, the widows, the sick, the imprisoned, the hungry, the hurting, and the homeless! Keep climbing up the hills of this life, knowing that if NOTHING ELSE, YOU ARE PRODUCING IN YOUR WAKE A HERITAGE OF FAITH AND ENDURANCE THAT WILL BLESS THIS WORLD BEYOND MEASURE!

Philippians 4:4 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

And just as important, you will never know how much you are growing, and how in touch with God you are, until you gain the perspective that only experiencing trials can allow.

So all those troubles at work, in relationships, in our society, in our family - all of those moments that lead us to question our God - they all remind us of how much we are growing in our faith. And how much more we have to grow.

So no matter what you face, rejoice. You are favored. You are loved. Keep writing those checks everyday. Be thankful for the opportunity to write them. Because it is in those checks, those trials, those opportunities to pour out our life for God and for others, that we will be remade by the Hope and life of our God.

[invitation]