Genesis 31:38-42 38 “I
have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not
miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not
bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded
payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This
was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night,
and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twenty years I
was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and
six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If
the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had
not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God
has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked
you.”
Romans 5:3-4 (NIV) We glory in
our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
I was beginning to discover the connection between my
perseverance and God’s desire to shape my character. Sometime later, I read the
biblical account of the way Laban tricked Jacob into working for a wife he did
not choose. Under Laban’s supervision, Jacob worked through extreme
temperatures, sleepless nights, and unfair treatment. Yet God blessed him
because of his faithful endurance. God used the experience to shape Jacob’s
character.
The story is a reminder of how God can shape us through
adversity. As we remain faithful and persevere through difficult circumstances,
God is faithful to cultivate in us the character of Christ. By God’s grace, we
can emerge from our trials stronger and more conformed to the image of Christ.
Thought for today:
Do I work through my trials and tribulations or do I give up and go my own way
rather than trust God to guide me through my trials?
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