The Habit of Enjoying
Adversity
“ . . that the life of Jesus also
may be manifested in our body.”
2 Corinthians
4:10
We
have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is
not just a question of being saved from sin and death, but of being saved so that "the life of Jesus also may be
manifested in our body." And it is adversity
that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh.
Is
my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the
basic irritation of "myself"
that I would have apart from Him? The
only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of
eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me.
No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, "Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this." Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of
my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.
You
must not debate. The moment you obey the
light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you
debate with God, you grieve His Spirit. You must keep yourself in the proper
condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way
to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how
wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is.
Discovering
a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed
excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the
orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And, if God puts
you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to "supply all your needs."
Keep
your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never
live on your memories of past experiences; but let the Word of God always be
living and active in you.
Taken from My Utmost for His Highest
by Oswald Chambers. copyright 1935 by Dodd Mead &
“Man’s highest good
may come from his deepest suffering.”