My grandma has been a Christian for 40 years. Her life has been hard, though. Why would God allow so much trouble to come into one person’s life?
Do you or someone you know work out with weights? If so, you know that the goal of weight training is to develop the muscles and make them stronger. At first, the strain of lifting causes the person to feel weak. In the long run, however, it makes him other strong. Like a muscle, faith grows stronger when it is exercised. (See James 1:2-4.) The book of Hebrews is all about faith—how to strengthen it, how it can help you endure.
One of God’s goals for us is to learn to trust him more. When a Christian asks God for more faith, he or she is really asking for more trials. God knows that only through exercise can our faith be strengthened.
Another reason for hardships can be found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. Suffering helps us develop the compassion to help others. Our endurance through trials is very important to God. It allows him to use us to pass along comfort and encouragement to others.
Some Christians are glad that they have few problems. (Can you relate?) But our response to problems helps us to grow.
1 comment:
i was just reading about this in The Purpose Driven Life today. it said that when you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing in your life is insignificant. look up James 1:12 for example. i think that understanding why God tests us in life is extremely important because otherwise you might get discouraged by the trials you face. it really makes you think, huh?
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