top of page
Dwan Riggins

First Love



Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:2-5.


The same confidence we have in God’s plan for our life when He answers our prayers is the same confidence we should have in our suffering. 


God is for us, with us, and in us. His goal …has always been to make us more consistent image bearers …by simultaneously …bringing us to the end of ourselves. Galatians 2:20. This is the tension …Romans 7 vs Romans 8.


God is brilliant. 


It’s painful to follow Christ …by …denying ourselves. It’s also painful to remain carnally minded …and ultimately remain opposers of God. We cannot do both …please God and think like the world. Yet, because God loves us, He is always imploring us to draw closer to Him. Everything and everyone else … can wait. 


The life of the Believer is not a life void of trials. John 16:33. It’s full of them. And yet, it’s becoming more common and easier to attempt to control outcomes through ambitions that curate a trial-free life …yet, a life that was never promised to us. Hence the reason why many are falling away and pursing …something “easier” and more self-serving. 


Carnality, or casual Christianity, doesn’t prove we are authentic or free. It proves we are immature and need to be processed. God will wake us up at 2am in the morning. He will wreck our plans and disrupt our perfect schedule. He will close every door and cause many to oppose us. All to set us apart. Discomfort is not demonic. Pressing is not anti-God. And not getting our way doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us. 

In the end, His goal is to bring us to the end of ourselves …so that He can be glorified. 


The sanctification process involves suffering, that will either drive us towards God or seek other idols to avoid it. Idols that relieve the stress, ease the pain, make things easier, to avoid persecution, avoid introspection and correction, or make us appear relevant, etc. Either way, death is imminent. May we choose the pathway of death that yields life …that is, life that is promised when we choose to lose our life, rather than save it. Matthew 16:25


Life …is what God wants us to experience. Not the world’s depiction of it. A life that enables us to rest …during the storm. A life that enables us to encourage others to stand firm in faith. A life that enables us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. A life that helps us keep proper perspective of what matters most.


There’s a method to the journey of the Believer. God is brilliant. How can we truly know joy if we avoid the storms that produce it …and rather choose to pursue the things that bring temporary satisfaction and contentment? How can we know peace when we complain about the trials that produce it? How can we know patience when we manipulate circumstances to get what we want quicker, rather than endure the suffering that produces it? 


I pray for an awakening for the Body Christ. That, corporately, we will return to our first love. That we will pursue Jesus as Lord and not just be a fan who admires Him. I pray we yearn and hunger for righteousness. That we are diligent seekers of truth. I pray we suffer well. That we yield to conviction that makes us sensitive to God’s voice. I pray we remain faithful to His mandate …to preach the Gospel and make disciples. That we will not be drawn away by our own lusts and ambitions. I pray we will honor His standards, take Him seriously, and yield to His way …every time. 

0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Platforms

Self-Love

Comentarios


bottom of page