Tag Archives: suffering

Before your head hits the pillow

Are You a Pearl?

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For some reason I got thinking about pearls on my way to work this morning.  I think that God places what might seem like random thoughts into our heads to direct us to something He wants us to ponder.  I guess this morning that was pearls.

So how is a pearl made? A pearl is typically generated within an oyster but on rare occasions it can also take form from within clams and mussels.  An oyster has two halves or valves.  The valves are connected by an elastic ligament.  For the most part the oysters’ valves are open so that it can eat.  The oyster has an organ known as a mantle that develops into its shell.  The inside of the shell is lined by a substance known as nacre.

When a foreign object gets lodged in between the mantle and the shell it causes an irritation.  To combat the irritation, which I guess could be compared to a sliver or splinter in your finger, the mantle then begins to cover the foreign object with the same substance that makes up the shell, the nacre.  After years of being covered with nacre a pearl develops.

So what does this have to do with anything?  As I got thinking about the pearl and this irritant that develops within it, I began thinking about our lives in Christ.  Man was created perfect but when Adam sinned, we all inherited his sinful nature.  That sinful nature is like an irritant, a foreign substance that is contrary to the ways of God.

But God can begin covering us just like the oyster covers the irritant lodged inside of it.  That irritant must be uncomfortable for the oyster and that is why it begins its work.  The work God does in us can also be uncomfortable but we know that if we are steadfast, He will create something beautiful out of our broken lives.

The Bible says this about the trials that cover us:  “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” I Peter 5:10

James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Romans 8:18 blesses us with these words, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

And one of my favorite passages is Romans 5:1-5, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Our trials and tribulations can also feel like irritants to us, but as Romans 5 tells us they begin to cover us with amazing beauty.  First those sufferings cover us with the beauty of perseverance, then the beauty of fine character, and finally they give us great hope.  And that hope assures us that we now stand before God in His grace being made righteous!

That irritant known as sin can be covered by God’s love over and over again.  That irritant known as suffering can teach us about God’s love, His grace, and His compassion.  Until one day we emerge as a beautiful pearl.  As we continue in our journey with the Lord, if we follow Him and let him cover those irritants in our lives, we become more and more beautiful until on that final day, we will be not just any pearl but a perfect pearl!  I like that thought!  But for now, I am just going to let God work on the irritants in my life so that I can become a more glorious pearl each day.

Before your head hits the pillow

He Giveth More Grace

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I love researching the great hymns and gospel songs. One thing is very evident, the writers of these amazing songs are very diverse. Some were written by people of wealth, some by people riddled by poverty, some by men and others by women, some by the intellectually superior and others by just plain ordinary people. But most were written by people who had experienced God’s grace in their darkest hours.

Tonight I wanted to post about a song written by Annie Johnson Flint. Annie lost her mother at a very tender age of 3. Her father felt he could not care for his two young daughters so he left them in the care of a friend, which turned out to be a less than positive experience for Annie. But the Lord interceded for the two young girls and they were taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Flint. Mrs. Flint, known as Aunt Susie was a kind school teacher who took the two girls in and raised them as her own. Mr. and Mrs. Flint were true Christians and raised the girls accordingly.

Annie, although cheerful and optimistic, had some faults. She was prone to quick temper flare ups and lacked patience (don’t we all!).

Shortly after she finished high school she suffered another huge loss when both of her adoptive parents died within months of each other and shortly thereafter she was diagnosed with debilitating arthritis.

She was an amazing writer but struggled to write as she gripped her pen through bent and hobbled fingers. But this did not dissuade her faith or her writing.

She wrote the song featured tonight from that horrible arthritic state. It was inspired by three Bible verses;

James 4:6 – But he giveth more grace; from Isaiah 40:29 – He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength; and from Jude 1:2 – Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Her song is an inspiration to each of us. We must KNOW that when the burdens grow greater, the Lord’s grace grows. The more we have to labor, the more strength He gives and when we are afflicted by disease, suffering or even death our Lord adds increased mercy!

God’s grace has NO limits. The bigger our struggles, the more His grace! Jesus just keeps giving and giving and giving again!

And then she continues with those amazing assurances of our Lord. When we are at the end of our rope, when we are exhausted and just finished with it all, when we have not even half finished the day and we have nothing left in us, our heavenly Father’s giving has only begun! God WANTS to share His love and His mercy, we need only to lean of His loving arms. He will carry us through.

I posted a meme some time ago that indicated that it is more important to KNOW what God can do than FEEL what God can do.

We must KNOW that He is sufficient for all of our needs before we can FEEL that He is sufficient for all of our needs!

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure. His power has no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth AGAIN!