Having Heart In A Sometimes Heartless World


Day 49 - Week at a glance

Scripture focus: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

  1. We suffer cyclically when we speak "the language of opposite reaction" - the third form of false spirituality that keeps us stuck in cyclical suffering. (When someone's insides and outsides don't match.)
  2. Although God tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials, that doesn't mean we should fake it.
  3. It is appropriate to mourn in the midst of suffering. That's not a sign of spiritual weakness - but of honesty.
  4. Acknowledging our pain is one way we express confidence in our God. It is honest. It neither minimizes nor denies the problem. Acknowledging suffering is in no way diminishing God's character - or ours.
  5. When one person makes the decision to suffer productively - many people benefit.
  6. Although there are many barriers to productive suffering, a small group can overcome a lot of obstacles by banding together.
  7. One of God's expressed wishes for us is that he desires for us to express our spirituality by entering the life restoration business.
  8. Restoration work is messy and dangerous.
  9. Fortunately, as a group, we can overcome messy and dangerous. We're in good hands.
  10. In isolation, we are vulnerable.
  11. It is messy but possible to suffer, cry, laugh, experience gratitude, express thanksgiving, be angry and not sin - and a host of other emotions - if we make the decision to surrender to the productive suffering process.


This completes the first forty-nine steps of your 365 step journey; I pray you are nearer to God as a result of the steps you've taken this week.

Recommended reading: Leviticus 5 and 6 in the morning; Psalm 37 in the evening

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 TNIV


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