The Good in the Hard

Mr. R. shared these stark-yet-reassuring words at breakfast this morning before church:

 "In affliction God reveals the unknown corruptions in the hearts of His people: pride, impatience, unbelief, idolatry, distrust of God, murmuring, and unthankfulness. Sin lies very close and deep and is not easily discovered until the fire of affliction comes. The furnace discovers the dross. In the furnace we see more corruptions than was ever suspected. What self-love is there boiling and fretting within me, what pride, distrust in God, creature-confidence, discontent, murmuring, rising against the holy and righteous dispensations of God! Woe is me, what a heart I have!" (Thomas Case, Select Works, A Treatise of Afflictions, pp. 28-32 as quoted in Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings, Richard Rushing, compiler)

Precious reader, God is in the hard. In our hard, God is molding us into the image of His son. In our hard, we become more like Jesus. In our hard, there is GOOD!