God cares about our well-being

God’s love is exceeding strong. He cares about our well-being. Yet there is another part of us that God cares about, and that is our character. In fact, God is more interested in our character than our comfort.

When Jesus gathered the disciples, He led them through towns to observe Him teaching God’s word. As a group, they slept where they could and ate what could be found. As the disciples comfort level decreased, their spiritual understanding increased.

This doesn’t mean that God wants us living poorly to gain spirituality. This illustrates the Lord’s commitment to character and spiritual growth. Daniel was placed in a lion’s den. Joseph was sold into slavery. Both of these men were tested and proven in character.

When I first realized this, I laid my forehead down on the table. “Oh great” I thought. “Can’t You just give me some instant deliverance?” I had to endure, with joy, and climb the mountain. Most of the time I was on my hands and knees, digging in and clawing my way to the top. When my attitude sucked, I slipped back down. In the end, I put my hands down and told God “ok, uncle, I give up, I will do this Your way.”

As we go through our daily lives, we shouldn’t be surprised when adverse circumstances arise. These challenges present opportunity to lean on God and draw out His wisdom. Adversity causes us to dig deeper and grow stronger. Sure, I, like many of you, pray for deliverance from adversity. God, in His wisdom, leads me through it, not out of it. And in the end I am stronger.