It's A Wonderful Life
Or is it?
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Unavoidable are trials, troubles, hardships, persecutions, famines, nakedness, dangers and sword (wars). Truthfully, can anyone of us say we lived without these? Somewhere and sometime we may live these literally as spoken in the black and white, and in our walk in finding His will in our spiritual walk. These represent lack and shame and fear and devastation. How did we endure? Did we resist or see these as blessings to build our character, our faith, and draw us closer to God and walk through the storms to the other side? Which we will, always, if we don't resist.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Absolutely nothing can separate us from His love. I tell my little children almost every Sunday, 'There is nothing you can do that will ever stop Jesus from loving you, NOTHING'. I want to make sure that the foundation is there so when they begin kindergarten or 1st grade, they will remember and hopefully for the rest of their lives. So when these precious little ones, throughout their lives encounter rejection, trials, hurt, confusion (each and everyone of us remember the pain and the joy) maybe they will remember to run to Him. His love is the premise for which all things are built....He first loved us; He loved us so much, He gave His only Son.
The trials, tribulations, persecutions will always be there. One thing I know for sure, In prayer, we can ask (not command) in His Name that the mountain be removed. His promises are true and He does answer whether our physical eyes see the answer or not whether it takes trials, tribulations or persecutions to see the answer. And ultimately the answer will always draw us closer to Him.
It's a wonderful life regardless of trials and tribulations. Of course I have to add a clip of this nostalgic wonderful movie, even out of season because the title is not irony, not dreaming, not illusions, this is 'real life' - ours. What a 'wonderful' example of joy and celebration when we make it to the other side of great trials. Even though it isn't shown in this video, we know the ending to this great story, and if I can say it once more...it's wonderful!!! If you don't know the ending, it's in the second attachment and if you do know it may be uplifting to watch again.
Psalm 30:5 He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. ____The Message
It's A Wonderful Life
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6IpGYROU3Vk
the wonderful ending
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ErrzjGCi3gY&feature=related
...back again one month later with a different video.
Yes!!! I can praise Him in my storm/s (plural)!!!
Video & Song
"Praise Him In The Storm' Casting Crowns
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s-XzbAVBCgQ
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