Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
Scripture tells us and personal experience confirms that there are some blessings that will only be found on the other side of pressure . . . because pressure in the hands of God results in our ultimate good and His eternal glory. Read on and be encouraged today!
It is the squeezed fruit that produces the juice . . . the crushed flower that produces the perfume . . . and the highly sought-after diamond is formed under a combination of high temperatures and extreme pressure in the earth’s mantle. So here is the question we all must ask ourselves:
What is produced when we are squeezed, crushed, and put under a combination of high temperatures and extreme pressure?
To be sure, the coronavirus pandemic has created profound pressure on us all, from social distancing to living under virtual house arrest to disruptions in both our work and our play. The question is not whether we are all feeling this pandemic pressure; the question is what we are choosing to do with it. Charles Swindoll, whose Insight for Living radio program is heard all over the world, once aptly said that “Life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent what I make of it.” Remember, it’s not what happens to you that makes the greatest difference in your life; it’s what you do with what happens that does.
Here are three things to remember about this pandemic pressure:
- Pandemic pressure is experienced by everyone.
- Pandemic pressure is only temporary.
- Pandemic pressure is being used by God for our good and His glory.
Being hammered on the anvil of the Almighty is indeed painful, but God has a purpose for our pain, and He will not expose us to more than we need or we can handle. God is at work maturing us, making us complete, and conforming us to the image and likeness of Jesus. This pandemic pressure has not been delivered to destroy us, but rather to demonstrate God’s ability to work through us to achieve His highest good in our lives: Christlikeness.
So . . . what has this pandemic pressure been producing in you lately?
You are in my prayers and in my heart.
Purpose and Passion,
Pastor Tommy
Grace for the Race 