Blessings of Thankfulness! Prayer requests?
Acts 7:58 “… and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul (the Apostle Paul),” and 8:1, “And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him (Stephen) to death.”
As we anticipate spending more time with family during the holidays perhaps we start to reflect on the past. I imagine when Saul, soon to become the Apostle Paul, thought about his past he may have suffered intense guilt over his part in the death of Stephen and the subsequent persecution of Christians.
You and I may carry guilt over the past, but take courage from Paul. Instead of letting past pain dictate his present and future, he allowed the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ to flood memories of past actions and personal pain, drown guilt and shame, and wash them all away. The Lord raised this young man Saul to unimaginable heights through total transformation and renamed him Paul.
He grew into The Mighty New Testament Force for God and the most remembered Proclaimer, Pronouncer and Preacher of the Lord Jesus Christ to ever live.
How can you and I receive encouragement from past pain?
Allow God to help.
Assess your past pain and moments of darkness.
Ascertain God’s presence and realize God was neither silent nor absent. You may not have noticed at the time but he probably showed himself through a Bible verse, a friend, a minister, a teacher, a sermon, a Bible lesson, a kind word, a thoughtful act.
Abandon doubt.
Acknowledge the good God has brought.
Attest to that goodness by telling others.
Affirm another’s journey of faith. Now that makes for a Happy Thanksgiving indeed!
Thanking God and Casting Aside Past Pain, PJ COPYRIGHT ©2013 PJ Gover
www.citygirlgoincountry.wordpress.com something different!
http://4homestore.com/devotionalbook.html (PJ’s devotional book)
Filed under: Christian, Practical Christianity Tagged: Bible Thought, Christian living, christianity, encouragement from pain, getting through the holidays, God and past pain, God's care, guilt, thankfulness
