Acts 14:22b - Tribulation for Entrance to the Kingdom.
Acts 14:22b (NKJV) "We must through many
tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
Acts 14:22b (NIV) "We must go through many
hardships to enter the kingdom of God,"
Acts 14:22b (NCV) "We must suffer many
things to enter God's kingdom."
COMMENTARY PEARL
We don't always like to read a verse like
that. We would rather the passage read, "Through
many days of perpetual happiness we enter the
kingdom of God." But that isn't Scripture, and that
isn't life. Trials and tribulations will come. Job
said it well: "Mortals, born of woman, are of few
days and full of trouble" (Job 14: 1, NIT).
Jesus once told a story about two men who
built two homes. They may have been built at the
same time, close together, and even with the same
floor plan. One of the builders, however, erected
his home on shifting sand, while the other built
on a stable rock foundation.
Then the storms came, hitting both of
those houses - hard! The house that had been built
on sand collapsed and fell in upon itself,
while the one built on the rock stood firm. The
obvious moral of the story is to build your life on
a foundation that will last, like the one we
find in the pages of God's Word.
But here's an application we sometimes
miss: The storm came to both lives. The wind beat
on both houses. The rain poured on both
building sites. The man who was wise and carefully
chose a stable foundation got hit with the same
hurricane-force winds as the man who foolishly took
shortcuts and didn't bother to plan ahead.
We all will experience storms in life.
Good things will happen to us as well as tragic
and inexplicable things. Every life will have
its share of pain. Even so, we have a God who,
despite the worst tragedy, can bring good out of
bad. That is not to say that God will make bad
good because bad is bad. But it is to say that
good can come out of bad. As Romans 8:28 affirms,
"And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose" (NW).
Life is a process, and as finite beings
who live moment to moment, we can't see around
the bend. We can't discern God's ultimate
purposes. But we can know that the ultimate result
will be good. because He is good. [Every Day with
Jesus by Greg Laurie]
COMMENTARY
God hates suffering - and Jesus spent
much of His time on earth reversing and relieving
it. It's the same today. In answer to heartfelt
prayers, He still grants babies to childless women,
heals cancer, protects Alzheimer's patients from
walking into traffic, and writes happy endings to
sad situations. But it simply doesn't follow
that God's only relationship to suffering is to
relieve it. Yes, He will eventually banish it from
His presence forever, but for now, suffering is
part of our broken world, and God will still use
it for His own ends.
In today's Scripture, Paul reminds us
that "we must go through many hardships to enter
the kingdom of God. Not just hardships, but many
hardships. In other words, no one enters Christ's
heaven who doesn't first share in Christ's
sufferings. Today, determine to be no greater than Your
Master. If the Lord Jesus suffered many hardships,
you can expect them too - along with the comfort
and encouragement of His presence.
Lord, You have always been clear about
it. You have said, "In this world you will have
trouble" (John 16:33). But then you offer Yourself as
my Companion, Friend, and Champion through
every moment. So I have hardships - but I also
have You! And You, Faithful One, are enough. [A
Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry
Libby]
Treasures in the Darkness
My friend, David, lives on the edge. He's
a quadriplegic, his wife left him after the
car accident, he survives on government
benefits, and lives alone in a little apartment
downtown. After getting up in the morning, he more or
less fends for himself after his part time
attendant leaves. Despite all his struggles, David
always orders the public access van on Saturday
evening so that he can come to our church for Sunday
services.
"Who helps you with dinner?" I asked him
once. David explained that he usually powers his
wheelchair over to the Pizza Hut for dinner. "The Lord
always provides someone to help," he laughed.
"Sometimes it's one of the waiters on break. Or a
stranger having dinner who offers to help. I can feed
myself," he said proudly. "I just need someone to
place the pizza in the curve of my hand just so.
But Joni, I'll tell you something. All this
helps me to depend on the Lord. I mean... I depend
on him."
David inspires me because he's not afraid
to live on the edge. Somehow, he finds light in
the darkness and hope in the midst of
helplessness. And God has revealed to him the preciousness
of Isaiah 45:3, where the Lord promises, "I
will give you the treasures of darkness, riches
stored in secret places so that you may know I am
the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by
name." Oh, how wealthy are the people who need God
desperately; whose treasure in the darkness is a deeper
knowledge of him.
In the midst of your own darkness, there
is treasure, and riches that could never be
discovered in the light of ease and peace. Needing God
desperately will always make you wealthy.
Lord Jesus, you left the rainbow radiance
of heaven to taste darkness and death for me...
and bring me home to your Father's house. And
even now, in the worst of times and deepest of
sorrows, you have become my treasure and my hope.
[Joni Eareckson Tada Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional re Daniel 2:22]
God Brings New Life Out of the Fire
How you handle pain is a great witness to
the world. When you trust God in spite of
suffering, youll point unbelievers to him.
Frankly, you and I arent much of a
witness when life is good. Anyone can serve God
during those times. But tough times are a different
story.
Remember the story of Daniels friends
being tossed into the fire? They trusted God, and
he rescued them in a miraculous manner.
These guys impressed the king with their
faith. And the king was the most powerful emperor
of that time.
The king said, Praise be to the God of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel
and rescued his servants! They trusted in him
and defied the kings command and were willing
to give up their lives rather than serve or
worship any god except their own God (Daniel 3:28
NIV).
King Nebuchadnezzar recognized that these
guys were willing to defy his order and risk
death because they trusted God.
What are you willing to die for?
If you dont know what youre willing
to die for, youll never truly live. Youll
only exist.
There are some trees that only sprout
after a forest fire, including the jack pine tree
of North America. The seeds are in the cones so
tightly that they wont come out unless intense
heat comes along. After heat melts the resin, the
seed is able to drop and germinate. Without heat,
this process wouldnt happen.
The same is true with us.
Sometimes God brings new life to others
because they see us trust him through the fire.
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/ re Daniel 3:28]
But God
We must shape the powerful and
transforming thought in our minds that the goodness and
faithfulness of God follow hard on our heels to turn
every tragedy into a triumph and every loss into a
gain. It is easy to affirm this as we look back -
the challenge is to affirm it with equal
conviction as we look ahead.
If you can get hold of this truth and
absorb it into your life as a working principle,
then it will transform your attitude toward
everything. Never again will you be at the mercy of
circumstances. In Acts 5:40-41 we read an astonishing
statement: "After they called in the apostles and had
them flogged ... Then they went out from the
presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing ..." Rejoicing?
Over injustice? How is it possible to rejoice
over an injustice? Because they believed, with
David, that the last word was not with men, but
with God - "goodness and faithfulness" would
follow them and turn the situation to their
advantage. When you can rejoice over injustice, you are
indomitable.
Another verse from Acts that always
intrigues me reads thus: "The patriarchs became
jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God
... (Ac 7:9). That phrase, but God, is at
the end of every injustice - He has the last
word. And just as God used the injustice done to
Joseph to feed the Egyptian people and his own
family, so He transforms every sorrow, every
bereavement, every tragedy. Christianity may not explain
everything, but it most certainly transforms everything.
[Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes
devotionals re Mark13:9]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Dont ask God to do what you want. Ask
God to do what is right.
When God doesnt do what we want,
its not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But
faith is the conviction that God knows more than
we do about this life and he will get us
through it.
Disappointment is cured by revamped
expectations.
I like that story about the fellow who
went to the pet store in search of a singing
parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was
too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for
him, so the man bought it. The next day the
bachelor came home from work to a house full of
music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and
noticed for the first time that the parakeet had
only one leg.
He felt cheated that hed been sold a
one-legged bird, so he called and complained.
What do you want, the store owner
responded, a bird who can sing or a bird who can
dance?
Good question for times of
disappointment. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
The more we know of God, the more we realize
that when He permits us to pass through deep and
dark waters, it is not because He is powerless to
deliver us, but because a beneficent and eternal
purpose is being worked out in that process. And
what is more, we discover that God is not
interested merely in working out His purposes in us,
but in imparting to us a richer sense of His
presence. In God there is a balm for every wound, a
comfort for every sorrow, and healing for every
heartache. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn
Hughes devotional re Psalm 92:4]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
I am your Joy! Let these words
reverberate in your mind and sink into your innermost
being. I - your Companion who will never leave you
- am a boundless source of Joy. If you really
believe this, you can rest in the truth that every
day of your life is a good day. So refuse to use
the label "a bad day," even when you're
struggling deeply. Your circumstances may indeed be
very hard, but I am nonetheless with you, holding
you by your right hand. There is good to be
found in this day - and every day - because of My
constant Presence and steadfast Love.
You may not be rich by worldly standards,
but My unfailing Love is priceless! This Love
guarantees that you can find refuge in the shadow of My
wings no matter what is happening. Also, it gives
you access to My river of delights. When your
world feels anything but delightful, turn to Me
and drink deeply from this ravishing river: My
loving Presence. I am your Joy! (Deu. 31:8; Psa.
73:23; 36:7, 8) [Jesus Always by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Acts 14:22b - Tribulation for Entrance to
the Kingdom.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150624-2038.html
Acts 14:22 - TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS:
WHY?????
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2003/20030819-1147.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
