Over the past few weeks I have been frustrated about where I am in my walk with Christ and where I am in being discipled and making disciples. The biggest problem in this frustration was where it placed me in relationship to God and others, and how it affected how I interacted with others face to face and with God in my prayer life. Long story short, I was not recognizing where I was not believing the gospel and how it works in my life. God wants the best for us, that is why He sent his Son to save us to bring us this "good news". It is why His word tells us that we cannot be separated from His love no matter what. As I realized the things I had neglected to believe about the greatness and completeness of the gospel, I realized I needed to give up the things that I felt uncomfortable in and just move on in the direction God has laid out before me. Even when we think we are trying to serve Jesus, when we are doing it in our own power and not being still and listening it just becomes uncomfortable. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 it says,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ESV)
God confronts and comforts us and in turn He will provide us with opportunities to comfort others. In other words don't be satisfied with being uncomfortable, endure the sufferings, the frustrations, the discomfort, but as you do remember the gospel. Remember God loves you, His Son gave His life for you and now mediates for you with the Father in heaven. Remember God sent His Holy Spirit to bring power into your life, and this power is greater than your frustrations, and your discomfort. Once I realized this and began to believe it my frustrations melted away and I found answers to relieve my discomfort. What these answers are is for me to understand and apply to my life through the grace and mercies of the gospel. It is all part of my heart being changed by the only power in the universe that can change a man's heart. For those who may read this know that the power, presence, and purpose of the gospel is for you as well and my prayer is that you will receive God's grace and mercy everyday and that it will change your life just as it changes mine.
Yours in Christ's amazing grace, Bob Best
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