Let Disappointments Develop You

In John 4:34 Jesus says this, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God who sent Me, and from finishing His work.”

Jesus.

He only did what He saw the Father do and He only said what He heard the Father say.
And He left us with an example and a commission to do the same.
To do the will of God as He did.  To be employed by God to do His work… to make an actual business out of it.

And here Jesus is telling us that we obtain the nourishment we need by doing His will.

Job 23:12 says, “I have treasured His Word more than daily food.”

Our nourishment comes from His living Word… His voice.  His will.

I was talking with a friend recently who is going through a very tough time emotionally.  It is very painful and the process in which God is walking her through is very difficult.  But she also realizes that in order to grow, she must go through it.  In an effort to strengthen her spiritual life, she understands the necessary path of obedience she must walk.

But it’s hard.

And I wonder, often, if instead of full surrender, we choose less satisfying roads to avoid hardship and inconvenience.

Because the truth really is that we have an idea of how we think things should be.  And as humans we tend to avoid discomfort at all cost.

But what if the main purpose of life isn’t to avoid pain and difficulty?  What if there is actually more to life than the perpetual pursuit of temporal pleasure?  What if God wants to be more than a burden-lifter for us?  What if He actually desires for us to use disadvantages and disappointments to develop us?

Because what I know to be true in my own life is that it’s always been the painful situations that have positioned me to grow stronger in my faith. 

Perhaps instead of seeking to “get out of” the painful situations I find myself in, I need to learn what it means to effectively endure them with deeper trust and greater confidence that leads to ultimate victory.  Just maybe there’s more to gain spiritually by learning to properly navigate tough waters, than to seek avoidance of danger altogether if it means gaining more of Jesus in the process and experiencing safety on shore!

We can become bitter on our way to spiritual advancement if we allow disadvantages, defeat, and disappointments to damage our already fragile heart.

Let’s make a determination today that we will allow all of what God gives us to not destroy us, but develop us.  It is by this process alone that we will be supplied with all the nourishment we should ever need.