| — | TULLIAN TCHIVIDJIAN |
love is not lost
Posts tagged with "suffering"
| — | A nobody |
| — | Paul David Tripp |
| — |
2 Corinthians 1:4–7 (NLT) |
It is human nature to blame people for their own troubles, but Job’s story from the Bible makes it clear that blame cannot always be attached to those whom trouble strikes…
| — | CS Lewis |
Suffering is not something to be prayed away, but something to be endured for the purification of our souls.
View post...2 Corinthians 12:8–10 (NLT)
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Anonymous asked...
Pastor Zac - You mentioned that you were taking a break from social media b/c of a what you thought was a justified hurt. Honestly, I have been in a similar spot in the last 2 months as I have left ministry to focus on myself, family, and to heal from mistakes,frustrations, and burnout. Are you going through something similar in particular with the burnout of the demands of full-time ministry at a church? Also, a church leader once told me that burnout isn't possible. What do you think?
Burn out is very real. All you have to do is read through the Psalms & Lamentations to realize that. We all go through challenges, it’s how we get re-focused on Christ as our all sufficient savior whose burden is light and yoke is easy. A wise friend once told me…
Stress is the product of trying to maintain a grip on something you were never destined to control.
About four years ago I was diagnosed with Kidney failure. I began three weekly dialysis treatments of four hours a piece. I couldn’t move, get up, or do much of anything during them. Of course this was challenging for a person like me who knew nothing but the GO GO GO of ministry life.
But, I began to look forward to these times, at first because they gave me a reason to say ‘no’ to much of the ministry minutia that so easily fills our lives. Going to treatment begin to be a vacation from the machine that was my life. What a sad place to be!
The Lord showed me many things during this season. The two most obvious were that…
- Nothing is more important than my relationship with Him.
- The only close second to being with him is being with my wife, and someday children.
He showed me more than these in that season, but these were the most important. So Jen and I begin forming our lives around these two things. Needless to say the fruit of the Spirit began to shine in our lives and marriage. We began to feel a pull to a new ministry which he was calling us to, that has led us to where we are now! [Love is Not Lost]
My situation a few weeks ago was me facing the reality of the resistance we face when we put the Lord and our family before anything else. I was dealing with the reality that not everyone will be happy when you choose the Lord and your wife first. But isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?
Luke 6:22–23 (ESV) 22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
The reality is, many people have agendas for our lives. Living those agendas will produce burnout, frustration, mistakes and sin in our lives. But there is only ONE that we must live to please, that being Jesus. His agenda for our lives brings life and peace. He cries out to us Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest!
Matthew 11:25–30 (ESV)25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I am praying for you. Follow Jesus!
