The Practice of Godliness: Godliness has value for all things by Jerry Bridges

Author:Jerry Bridges [Bridges, Jerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NAVPress - A
Published: 2008-01-22T08:00:00+00:00

In this [hope] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:6)

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

You ... joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. (Hebrews 10:34)

To take the long-range view is to rejoice because our names are written in heaven; it is to rejoice in the Lord in whom alone we have the hope of an eternal inheritance that far outweighs whatever troubles we are now experiencing. To take the long-range view is to follow the example of Jesus Himself, who “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

A fourth aid to joy is, Give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This refers, of course, to both pleasant and unpleasant circumstances. We are to be thankful all the time. This does not mean we are to be thankful for a difficult circumstance, considered in itself. Rather, we are to give thanks in the midst of every circumstance, good or bad. We are to be thankful that God is working in this circumstance for our good. We are to be thankful for past deliverances from trials. We are to be thankful that in this present trial God will not allow a greater burden than we can bear, and that His grace is sufficient to enable us to bear it. And as we give thanks to God we will begin to experience once again the joy that is our heritage in Christ.

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