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 hell, 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 (Ephesians 4:30 ).
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 need" (Philippians 4:19).
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.
The Habit of Recognizing God’s Provision
. . . you
may be partakers of the divine nature . . . —2 Peter 1:4
We are made "partakers of the
divine nature," receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His
promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by
developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing
God’s provision for us. We say, however, "Oh, I can’t afford it." One
of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly
Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility
to say at the end of the day, "Well, I just barely got by today, but it
was a severe struggle." And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord
Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to
bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances
are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge
in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder
others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of
self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him
with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain,
and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and
never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.
Before God becomes satisfied with
us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is
our Source; as the psalmist said, "All my springs are in You" (Psalm 87:7). If the
majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us
responsible. "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you .
. . may have an abundance . . ." (2 Corinthians 9:8)
— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of
yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will
flow through you all the time.