Perfected - Part 2

God allows suffering for his purpose.  Suffering is necessary to bring us to the place that we need to be...  humbled before our Lord.  “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” - 1 Peter 5:10. Our God is a God of grace.  He is the only God that is gracious.  The gods of other religions are gods of vengeance and retribution.  Our God loves to do good to those who don't deserve it. Because of His grace He called us to His eternal glory. We who have humbled our hearts before Him are the ones who have been saved by his grace. When we humbled ourselves, He opened our ears and eyes so that we could understand ... so that we can know that we know that we are His and that He is ours. Suffering is necessary to go where he wants us to go.  He wants to strengthen, perfect, establish, and settle us. The requirement is that we "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God." To perfect means to mend, to reconcile, to make whole and to heal. Without our Lord, there is something missing in our lives. God is always a God of plan and purpose. Through the trials and perfecting, He will reveal His purpose and teach us the meaning of his character.  

Hebrews 12 is about discipline. Our father who loves us disciplines us.  Although it hurts, chastening produces within us a quiet growth in grace and character. Some of us know how to be an All-Star and to bask in the limelight of worldly accomplishments. However, we need to learn what it means to sit on the bench and pull for the other guy.  During these times, Almighty God is building his character in us. God's character is learned, not in the limelight, but by sitting on the bench and swallowing our pride. Only on the bench can we learn to cheer and prefer others ahead of ourselves. Our question is, "Lord, what are you trying to perfect in me through this trial?" Through chastening and chastisement, the character that He is building within us is humility, self control, meekness and the love of God.  

God wants to perfect us and to "establish" us. He wants to make us as solid as granite.  Suffering will accomplish one of two things: either it will make a person collapse, or it will solidify them to stand before a loving God. Through the trial God will strengthen us as steel forged and tempered through the fiery furnace. Casual Christians become casualties in the spiritual battle. When we stop working out and preparing for the battle, we will slide into complacency.  Perseverance and persistence through trial produces character. God says, "have I not comforted you in affliction?  Have I not always brought you through the trial?  I will bring you through the fiery trial and the furnace of pain that you may be strengthened and tempered.  Therefore rest fast in my love...I have you in my own intensive care.  I want you to go through trials with a singing spirit.  Be a beacon light ... My glory will shine through you and the glory of Jesus Christ will be revealed in you."

God wants to settle us.  He will lay a foundation in our lives that cannot be shaken.  When we're shaken, He will shake out the things in this life that don't really matter. The shaking of life will make us understand our true foundation. Our true foundation is Jesus Christ himself, the cornerstone upon which our life is founded. The lessons of life will teach us to be established, strengthened, comforted and settled.  God is a God of grace who will humble us under his mighty hand so that he can lift us up...so that he can exalt us in due time to his honor and glory.

May God richly bless you!

Your brother in Christ, Michael