“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—”
II Corinthians 4:8-9
We have a promise from Jesus that we are overcomers. We can overcome any stressful situation we face. We can overcome any negative circumstance we are dealing with. We can overcome because we have God on our side.
It doesn’t take long after experiencing a hardship that you start to feel overwhelmed. In today’s verses, Paul gives us hope for a new joy. He says you will have times when you feel like giving up because you feel stressed to the max. But don’t give up.
It seems like everyday we hear of people getting bad news. Bad news that someone is sick. Bad news that someone we know has suddenly passed away. Bad news that someone has just divorced. Bad news that someone just lost a good job.
How can someone see that brighter days are ahead? It’s tough now but there is coming a day that joy will be restored.
We have faith in God that we belong to Him and we are in His hand. He knows what we are facing and He cares. Paul’s words of encouragement to us prove that we may be crushed or persecuted be there will be a brighter day ahead. There will soon be a day that we can have our joy restored.
The most effective way to have your joy restored is to have a positive outlook on life. Thinking positive gives us hope. But when tough circumstances arise it’s hard to be positive all the time. This is when we should consider what we are doing for the Lord.
Are we glorifying Him in all that we do? Are we searching the scriptures for hope and encouragement? The Bible promises that when we seek after God, He will be found and He will pour out His love.
Another way to be encouraged is to do something out of the ordinary that displays the love of Jesus. Helping someone else always brings joy. When we are doing the work of Christ, it satisfies our soul and lifts our spirits.
Pray
Lord, You promise in Your word that you will lift me up and encourage me. Today I pray that you encourage me and allow me to express love to someone else.
