I have been feeling depressed lately, but during this time my mind has had some reminders that give me some encouragement.
One of these is remembering things from Scripture.
This is what I need to be doing:
"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)
It's good to remind myself of future joy. Jesus suffered more than I ever have. His disciples abandoned Him, He suffered physically, and... He suffered for my sins & all the sins of all who ever believe. He took God's wrath for sin & even came to the point of asking the Father why He had forsaken Him when He was on the cross.
He suffered more than any of us have & He did it for the joy set before Him. Part of His joy I believe is His relationship with the church...His bride. If our own human suffering whether it be from persecution or physical suffering or emotional suffering without persecution is light compared to the joys of Heaven with Christ, then the joy there must be beyond words & our finite minds. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
So, if I trust God & His sovereignty, then I need to believe God can still use me. He sees me as righteous in Christ. He uses fallen, frail, fragile human beings that others reject.
He understands my humanness. While others may reject me & my weakness, He not only still has a purpose for me & can use me...He is my perfect example as well as Savior. He also uses suffering to cause my dependence to be on Him & to make me more like Him.
He will never leave me or forsake me.
As a Christian, I'm part of the bride of Christ that He has cleansed. He is going to present Christians as having no spot or wrinkle - as holy & blameless. (Ephesians 5:27)
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