Prepare for Worship | Perspective in Trials
Last Sunday, Pastor Jason Finley preached from Genesis 40-41 and exhorted us to trust God’s good providence by his word.
Read: Genesis 42-45
This Sunday, Ryan Heard will preach from Genesis 42-45 and will continue the theme of God’s providence, exhorting us to trust God’s good providence in every circumstance. As you prepare for our Sunday gathering, be encouraged by the following devotional from Milton Vincent. As Joseph trusted that what his brothers meant for evil, God meant for good, so can we trust that whatever evils we face in our lives, God is using them for our good through the power of the gospel.
Reflect: “Perspective in Trials”
More than anything else could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials (Romans 5:1-5). The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God’s good work in me.
“Perspective in Trials,” in A Gospel Primer for Christians, by Milton Vincent
Sing: Song List for Sunday
1. “God Is for Us,” by CityAlight
2. “The Lord Our God,” by Passion
3. “The Power of the Cross,” by Keith & Kristyn Getty
4. “You’ve Already Won,” by Shane & Shane
5. “Sovereign Over Us,” Arr. Shane & Shane