We had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9
We know very little about the years that Jesus spent growing into manhood. However, we can surmise that He grew emotionally, mentally, and physically. Luke writes, “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). Like us, God’s Son had to develop, and we can imagine that though He was sinless, He learned how to live through the circumstances of life.
Many people today are suffering, not because they have sinned or resisted God, but because the Lord has chosen to develop their character through difficulty and hardship. In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul doesn’t gloss over the fact that he suffered. At one point, he believed he might die. But God spared his life, and Paul was able to write about the hardships he faced with such hope that many who read his letters also declared faith in Jesus Christ.
God cannot mold and shape our lives unless we’re willing to surrender and be transparent before Him. These are prerequisites to experiencing a breakthrough in our trials and sufferings. We have no idea of the difficulties that Christ faced as a young man. The Gospels don’t record them. Yet we know that as an adult, He suffered and died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life. He wasn’t ashamed of the calling God had given Him. Now all glory is His, and He’s seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding in prayer for us each day.
Stop looking at the trials of your life with thoughts of regret. Learn to rest in God’s care and allow Him to work in your life to the fullest. When you do, you will discover that He has a tremendous blessing waiting for you. You grow to be like Him, and you will be a testimony of His grace and hope to a troubled world.
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