In ‘A Gospel Primer‘ Milton Vincent writes “the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them” Notice he doesn’t say that it gives me permission to be released from my responsibility, or do what’s best for me, or what makes me feel better. Scripture is not filled with “ways out”, rather it is filled with “ways in” to Christ in light of the fallen world we live in. Vincent also goes on to say ‘The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and to do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ” while also referencing some powerful scripture (see the end of this post).

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What trial are you experiencing right now? Can you say that it is drawing you closer to Christ and that Christ is being glorified by your response? I don’t know about you but for me this is hard. VERY HARD. My flesh wants to constantly remind me of my rights, and my emotions play games with my heart and mind. I soon forget my standing as a child of God, and I quickly put up my guard ready to defend what I think is fair and reasonable. I forget that God has a plan to use the situation for His glory and I need to seek Him first before I add insult to injury. It is hard because, more times than none, what I need to do is the exact opposite of what I want to do. It usually involves me putting aside ALL of my pride, remembering who I really am in Him and what he has done for me, and then, as if that wasn’t hard enough, having to view the other person in the situation the same way. I know I’m talking about difficult situations here, but for the most part you could substitute the word trial for any type of situation –positive or negative– and ask yourself some of these exact same questions.

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When I think about this level of abasement there is one woman who comes to mind. She is one of the most humble and loving persons I know. There was a time in her life where she was wronged over and over by the same offence and by the same offender. Every time she was able to separate the sin from the sinner, a cliche phrase for sure but in this circumstance it fits. She continued to walk in love and forgiveness even though the offence had the potential to cut to the very core of who she aspired to be. She saw herself through the eyes of Christ and sourced all of her value and purpose through the fact that she was a daughter of the King! She saw herself as lowly and sin stained and unworthy of this title. The love that grew in her heart for her Savior, the one she offended, overflowed to the one who offended her. The benefit of the position she took put the attention on the deep issues that needed to be worked through, and her response protected many other people who stood to incur the pain as a result. In essence, she sacrificed her rights to give God room to show His glory and put to shame the way the world told her to turn, and He did in big ways! And, He’s not done yet.

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When I reflect on her response I hang my head in shame because I have done the complete opposite in far less egregious situations. Thankfully, and only by Gods grace, there are times I have not. There is one consistent theme that runs through either response. It is the view I have of myself. I have either elevated myself and my rights above all other factors (and hurt people in the process) or I have remembered who I am in light of Christ and his work in my life, and God was immensely glorified and I was richly blessed (and humbled).  BUT HOW? This is one of those blog posts you read and walk away from saying, well sure, that sounds ideal but I just have no idea where to start. And frankly who does? Sometimes we are knee deep before realizing we are in the mud, and then pride sets in and keeps us stuck. Here is the most simple answer that took me a long time to realize:

Preach the gospel to yourself every day.

It almost seems too simple, but it’s so powerful. Just think of it this way, if the gospel has the power to completely change the trajectory of your life then it definitely has the power to influence your outlook and response to your circumstances and trials. Practically speaking the book I mentioned is a great place to start. It has been a daily companion for me lately, and I love reading some of the sections over and over. It has brought the power of the gospel to life for me, and it has caused me to realize, even more, that I will need its power in my life until the day my eyes are finally set upon my Savior. Oh what a precious and humbling day that will be! However, until that day I will continue to wrestle daily between my flesh and the Spirit of God who thankfully never gives up on me.

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Here are the scriptures mentioned above: