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Isn’t it mind-boggling to know that part of Jesus’ cruel punishment was to lug that heavy, splintery cross with him through the streets and up the hill to his crucifixion? It’s bad enough to die on a cross, much less carry it with us and THEN be spiked to it.
It seems that as often as not, instead of instant deliverance from some struggles we encounter, we have to “carry” them a while. There are some things I’ve lugged along for years, longing to be free from; and yet, when I pray for an instant lifting, I get the same response from God as did the Apostle Paul concerning his “thorn in the flesh.” Our Father says to me, “My grace is sufficient.” I’m still trying to grasp the mindset of delighting in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, though…but the Word declares that when we are weak, we are strong! (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
God is not going to allow those weak areas of my life to utterly rob me of my right standing with Him, but He does require that I persevere. He says to me, “You can trust me not to let you go under. I will never let go of you, Daughter.” It inspires me to keep moving forward without quitting. It also makes this gal far less judgmental toward others whose splinter-in-the-eye looks so much smaller to me than my beam.
There will always be endless speculation among believers and non, about whether this one or that one made it to Heaven in spite of a certain problem which plagued that person in his or her life. While I know that God’s grace is not a license to just live a defeated, backslidden, shameful lifestyle, I don’t spend a lot of time concerning myself with who did or did not complete the course or keep the faith. I’m satisfied to know that God is a good keeper…period. If He has said to someone, instead of an instant deliverance from difficulty, “My grace is sufficient,” then who am I to come along and add a disclaimer?
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article courtesy of The StreamingFaith.com
Daily Devotional: “Crosses Carried, Burdens Borne” was originally published on praisecleveland.com
