The road you travel in service to Christ may be difficult and arduous. Jesus warned us it would be so.

Andrew Murray was born in South Africa. After finishing his education in England, he went to the home of his heart and he ministered the Gospel in Africa for 68 years. It was not an easy road for him. Africa was a hard land in those days. Murray was a great writer on the “deeper life” of living for Christ. He was instrumental in the South African revival of 1860. His influence through his writings is still felt today.

When Hitler’s monstrous Third Reich reigned in Germany, Dietrich Bonheoffer, a faithful German pastor, was persecuted. He was guided by his life’s motto: “When Christ calls a man, he calls him to come and die.” He faithfully preached God’s Word in the face of constant opposition. Even after he was put in a Nazi concentration camp, where he was later executed, he did not stop preaching God’s Word. It was not an easy road for him, but he persevered to victory.

Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-26. The Apostle Paul lists much of the suffering he endured while he walked the road of service to Jesus. Paul did not believe the Lord had turned against him because the path of his service to Jesus was difficult and hard. In fact, he rejoiced in the opportunity. Paul was never deterred by hardships or persecution.

If you are on a difficult journey right now, be encouraged. Your rough road will not always be so. And God’s delay is not His denial. In His plan for you, the hard road you are on now, may bring you to a great, victorious destination.

The grace that brings you through your difficult times can prepare you for any trial that you may face. In the hardest of times, you will be victorious.

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Write the Pastor at PastorBill@firstag.org