Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Getting through the tough times”
Our Bible verse for today: “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand.” Jeremiah 18:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “God is using your tough times to mold you and shape you.”
I know a man who spent years in prison. They were awful years – hard and lonely. Once he was released he went through more difficult years of transition as he tried to overcome his record as a convicted felon and establish a new life for himself. But he did do it and now God uses him to help other convicted felons get back on their feet.
I know another man who succumbed to alcoholism and lost everything – his job, his wife, his children, his home, all of his possessions, and his health. His fall was devastating, but he recovered and now God uses him to help other men recover from addiction as well.
You’ve heard of similar stories: a woman who was a victim of domestic violence and rape, now she works as a counselor at a women’s crisis center. The veteran who lost his legs in Iraq but now he helps other injured veterans make the adjustment and get on with their lives. The young couple who made terrible financial decisions, went through personal bankruptcy, but learned their lessons and now they teach a class at church on Biblical principles for good financial management.
God usually doesn’t cause our tough times – usually they come as a result of our own actions or because of the actions of someone else. But God does use our tough times to mold us and shape us into the men and women He wants us to be. God wastes nothing. Every tear, every struggle, every hurt and pain, God can and will use it to teach us, mold us, shape us, and prepare us for something good in the future.
I don’t know what difficult issue you’re dealing with at the moment but I do know that God wants to use it in your life for some good purpose. I encourage you to consider what God might be teaching you through this, and how you could potentially use your tough time to be a blessing to others in the future. Like a potter shaping a lump of clay into a useful vessel, God will use your tough times to mold you and shape you into the man or woman He wants you to be.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 