Today’s Reading: Acts 7:54-60
Acts 7:56 — And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
God promises to be with us in hard times. Faced with an angry, hostile mob, Stephen saw Jesus Christ standing in heaven to receive him. The Sanhedrin were about to stone Stephen, but he was not concerned by that circumstance. Stephen was captivated by the honor of Christ’s presence in his situation.
Hard times reveal what is truly in our hearts. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Stephen’s treasure was his relationship with Jesus, so as he faced death, the desire of his heart was revealed. He saw Jesus and was filled with joy and peace.
In tribulations, people either turn to the Lord and receive HIs grace for deliverance and salvation or they harden their hearts against God by refusing His grace. God wants to be with us and reveal Himself in our trials and tribulations.
God wants to be our refuge and our strength, our very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). He wants to be the fourth man in the furnace, the savior walking on the waves in the storm. He will be with you in the lion’s den, in the prison cell at midnight, in the ark in the flood, in the valley of the shadow of death.
We all face hard times. Jesus said, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38), and He prayed to God for deliverance and help. It is so important for us to know that God is with us even in the darkest nights of our lives. Turn to Jesus and open your heart to receive grace for your situation and circumstances. Jesus is always there; in the good times and the bad times, Jesus is there.
…05/24/2024 Devotional
“Hard times reveal what is truly in our hearts.”
When I come across a problem that is too difficult to handle, I ask myself: Am I really a Christian? Am I really giving my all to the Lord? Is the Lord really 100 in my life and I am 0? Have I really given everything to God? When difficulties come, the easiest thing is to walk away. It disappears. However, this is not a fundamental solution. Difficulties will come again in life. Or, you hold on to others, complaining and criticizing them endlessly. This is also not a solution at all. Hard times still come again. Is it really true that only Jesus is in my heart? “Wherever…