John Mulligan’s lesson this week was about Unopened Gifts. These are 5 blessings from God that you didn’t know were blessings.
(1) The first is God allowing you to live one day at a time. We read in James 4:14-15: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow… you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” If we knew something bad was going to happen, we would live in dread of that event. We must plan, certainly, but we mustn’t presume what will happen. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
(2) God allowing prayers to go “unanswered”. In 2 Corin. 12:9 we read, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” God will get us through our difficulties. Living through hard times is difficult, but what if we had no faith to comfort us? Let’s consider what God is seeking to do for us through these circumstances. More good might come than bad. Let us pray and wait for the answer in His time.
(3) God allowing hardships to stay. He’s not trying to hurt us; He might be testing our perseverance. James 1:2-3 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” We can’t ignore hardships, but we can think about how best to handle them. Our strength during these times can be a model for others about living in faith.
(4) God allowing helping others to help you. Our God comforts us so we can comfort others. If we feel panic or self-pity, that’s Satan’s work, trying to pull us away from His word. Reaching out to help others, when we are in pain ourselves, is God’s therapy for us. That’s when we best understand other people’s pain.
(5) God allowing you to know the future. No, not whether you’ll win the lottery. This is only the beginning for us. He has told us time and again that the best is yet to come. We will have everlasting life with Him if we keep the faith.
His grace is sufficient for us and, in His grace, He has given us these gifts that we can open at any time. Our great security comes from knowing what’s important: Tomorrow is uncertain -- eternity is not.
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