Day 25. Transformed by Trouble

Day 25. Transformed by Trouble.

It may be helpful to look at definitions of trouble that Warren will use in coming days:

Tests are those problems God uses for our spiritual growth. Pastor Greg Boyd emphasizes that God wants us to succeed in every test! (It is of these tests that Bible says God will not test us beyond our endurance.) As parents we allow our children to face tests with every hope and prayer that they will choose wisely and succeed.

Trials can be the result of our fallen world. We rejoice in our circumstance, not for our circumstance. God does use them all to form our character. We send our children into a fallen world, one with tsunamis and earthquakes and tornadoes. We do not plan that pain or harm will befall them, but we are prepared with an embrace whenever bad things happen to good people.

Temptations are from the evil one. James says “No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.” (James 1.13) Parents work above all others to prepare our children to face evil, to make the right choices in the face of temptation. Few things alter life like bad choices involving substance abuse or sexual misbehavior. And of course “pride” is there to make us believe we are not susceptible to temptation. Evil is hard at work. We must be too, in both teaching and prayer.

Trespasses are those troubles caused by others by their bad choices, intentional or not. It is of these that Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Regardless of the source of our troubles,

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8.28

Believe it!

Rick