Growing up I always wondered why the disciples would continue to complain time and time again. I mean what was not to love about their work? How cool would it be to get to walk side by side with Jesus? Wouldn’t it be sweet to see healings and miracles first hand and have crowds follow you everywhere you go? But at the same time, they where only humans like you and I. They grew hungry and tired. They didn’t have any money, nor did they get paid for what they did. God called them to drop everything and follow him, and that they did! Sure ministry is fun, but with it comes a lot of work, and at times you find yourself complaining.
This month hasn’t been the easiest. Each night between the heat and mosquitoes, it’s easy to find your self tossing and turning with little sleep through the nights. Most of us have even gotten sick in one form or another. Anytime you go about doing the work of God, Satan will try and sneak in and through at you everything he has. He doesn’t want to see you succeed. And when hard times come, we want to give up, we find ourselves wondering if God is going to get us out of the sticky situation. But the Bible says in James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Why should we consider it pure joy? Because Satan has taken the time to try and stop us. We should consider it an honor that Satan is so worried that we are going to bring his kingdom down! Besides that, trials and tribulations build both faith and character! So many times in the Bible it says to be great full and rejoice not only in good times, but also for the bad…“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
-1 Thessalonians 5:18
Notice how this verse says to give thanks in all, and not for all? Growing up I thought that was impossible to be great full for the bad things. But then I realized we don’t have to be happy for the bad, but during it!
If we fail to have trials, we have to ask our selves if we are doing our best to serve the Lord. Are you doing everything in your power to spread the gospel and bring the kingdom come? If not, what’s stopping you. I was reading the other day and stumbled across this quote by Sir Francis Drake:
“Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord…”-Sir Francis Drake
Can I challenge you today to make this your prayer? I dare you to ask God to challenge you in order to draw you closer to him!
