Relief from trials...

Relief from trials.....

I totally enjoyed this devotional by Ray Stedman...

This month he has been going through the book of Job and it has been so good...but this one is so hopeful for those who are or have or will endure trials in their lives...that light at the end of the tunnel...that growth we long for in our lives," but don't care  for the lessons to get there"...

I want that peace, fragrance and beauty of soul ...without all the trials, the physical or emotional pain, the hard lessons, the humbling, the examining, the loss, and anything else that creates those attributes...

With end of another year in sight, it bodes well to look back and see what has molded us this past year...what have been the highs and lows, how has God used them In our lives, how have I accepted them from His hand, how has He upheld me through those  highs and lows..how has He surrounded me with His love....has there been peace, beauty and fragrance in these times....am I looking more and more to Him for my sustenance, my peace, my beauty...do I desire to sit with Him in His temple and see Him...see all of life through his filters..of growing closer to Him through the trials of life...

I will be the first to admit, that I have said, "no, no, no not this." Not wanting to    go down this or that path with its perils and trials....but, He has been there, maybe not answering my questions, but holding me to the peace on the other side...and there are still some which I am still learning to trust his ways...

Thank YOU for for Your examples of learners who have paved the way for centuries of more learners...Your examples, Your Word which touches and examines our souls...Your desire that we immerse ourselves in Your Holy Word...finding that peace, fragrance and beauty...

1 Timothy 4:8b-10.... but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 

"   Job's Daughters   A daily devotion for December 30th   From your friends at RayStedman.org     Read: Job 42:14-15       The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers (Job 42:14-15).       The fascinating thing about this account is that the whole Scripture seems to focus now on the daughters of Job instead of the sons. In chapter 1 it was the sons who were in the forefront. They had a birthday party every year, and they invited their sisters to come and share with them, but here, at the end of the book, it is the daughters of Job. Being the father of four beautiful daughters myself, I know how Job must have felt about them. He was proud of these daughters. In fact, he gave them an inheritance among their brothers, which was unheard of in the culture of that day. For anyone who is deciding on a name for a baby girl, here are some excellent suggestions: Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-Happuch. The names are significant, and here are their meanings: • Jemimah means dove. Throughout the Scriptures, and even in our culture today, the dove is the symbol of peace. • Keziah is another spelling of the word cassia, and, you recall, when the wise men brought their gifts to the infant Jesus, they brought gifts of cassia, aloes, and myrrh, all of which were fragrances and incenses that were expensive, rare, and beautiful. Cassia, therefore, is incense or a fragrance. That is the symbolism behind the name. • Keren-Happuch literally means the horn of adornment and is a reference, therefore, to the outward beauty that comes from an inward character. Daughters who represent peace, fragrance, and beauty are the fruits of Job's trials. Surely, as the text says, there were none so fair in all the land as these. The New Testament, in Romans 5, tells us that suffering produces fruit for all those who persevere as the evidence of God's love. Suffering, Paul says, produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope(Romans 5:3-4). Character produces hope, hope that you are becoming the kind of person you want to be, and hope does not disappoint us, Paul says (Romans 5:5). It leaves us confident and sure of our God and of the power and resources of the spiritual life. That is the message we have at the close of this book. Lord, thank You that out of my own brokenness You bring beauty, peace, and a fragrant life that is pleasing to You.       Life Application   The greatest joy comes when we begin to grasp the infinite love and wisdom of God as our Father. This insight often results from a graduate course in parental discipline.   Related Message   For more on this portion of Scripture read the message: The New Beginning or listen to the audio by clicking:   Listen to Ray     Previous Devotions for December Next       Want to Subscribe?   Subscribe / Unsubscribe to this Daily Devotion by Email   Copyright © 2014 Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet."