Be strong in the Lord, relying on His mighty strength. (Ephesians 6:10 ISV)
The Lord does not put us in glass
houses to grow us, to be His trees; the Lord does not protect us from the
storms, the adversities; He exposes us to the bitter winds and the scorching
suns of adversity and trial. The Lord is working in us that which is according
to His own Nature eternity, the enduring, the everlasting God that
which will not be easily or hardly carried away. He is putting substance in you.
Oh, today we fear that the appeal to become Christians is so often in terms of
having an easy or a good time; being happy and enjoying yourself; well, thank
God for ALL divine joy, but this is true to the House, to the City, that the
first thing the Lord is working toward and seeking to work into His people is
that substantial, steadfast, enduring faithfulness that is according to His own
nature. Substantial! Oh for substantial Christians that dont need coddling and
nursing and running after all the time; being pandered to to get them to go on
or stand up. Men and women like cedars of Lebanon; like the hewn stones
weighty, accountable, and responsible to carry weight and all that is meant by
strength.
I can only remind you again of what a large
place that has in the Word of God: be strong, be strong in the Lord in
the strength of His might, be strong in the grace that is in Christ
Jesus. Think again. Want to understand why the winds are allowed to blow so
fiercely... the storms? To get us away from that natural, easy-going-ness or
cheapness, lightness, frivolousness and to make us people of weight. Strength
through testing, through adversity strength... to endure throughout all ages.
There is much which is going to be carried away in the last great testing, and
if, therefore, trial and adversity is the only way to deepen us, to put caliber
into us, I suppose we must expect more of it as the time shortens.