Page 20 - A Confident Trust in Jesus
P. 20

Difficult times don’t come
      with easy answers. But they  Andrea was driving the
      do come with hope. God has  family’s Toyota 4Runner,
      all eternity to work out the  off to visit the college she
      good in hard times and  hoped to soon attend.
      promises in Romans 8:28 that  When an approaching
      he will: “And we know that in  driver lost control of his
      all things God works for the  car, he slammed into
      good of those who love him,  Andrea’s side of her
      who have been called  vehicle. Andrea passed
      according to his purpose.”  away immediately but her
                           mother, strapped in the
      Trials can—if we choose—  seat next to Andrea, wasn’t
      strengthen our faith and  seriously injured. Which
      reliance on God. Inviting him  means she had a front-row
      to talk with us through  seat to watch her child die.
                           When Andrea’s grieving
      suffering helps us get to know  parents arrived home late
      him in ways we won’t in any  that night, their pastor was
      other situation.     waiting for them. Andrea’s
                           father thanked him for
                           coming and then gently
                A Week     said, “We’re going to get
        Stretch  (or Two) of  some sleep now. We’ll pray
        Activity           and then see the good
                Gratitude  thing that God will do
                           tomorrow.”
      A notepad, a journal, the back
      of stray envelopes pulled out of the trash—wherever you’d
      like, every day jot down your response to this question:
      Where are you blessing me today, Jesus?
      Big stuff, small stuff, stuff that lifts your spirits and stuff that
      causes you to sigh—it’s all stuff that God may be bringing
      into your life so he can shape you and use you in new ways.
      Hang onto your notes—you’ll be sharing them with your
      discipler.

          Check this circle if you are going to keep a record of your
          blessings and share them with your discipler.
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