November 17, 2010

Acts 8:1-4

 ¹Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

 ²Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.

 ³But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

 ⁴Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

Never doubt God.  We never know how God will use the tough times for His glory and our betterment.  God allowed His new Church to be persecuted and ravaged.  This forced its committed members to disperse and reach new peoples.

God allowed the horror of Nazi Germany and the holocaust, but what came out of it?  A fulfillment of prophecy, Israel became a state again.  Without the holocaust, Israel would not be a state.

God has prevented us from enjoying lots of good things so we could later enjoy the best things.  If you think about it, you will realize how very true this is.  For example, is your spouse the first person you ever had a crush on?  Mine wasn’t.  I wasn’t able to marry who I wanted when I was 16, when I was 18, when I was 23, instead God brought the woman who was the best fit for me when I was 27.  Many have had to wait longer.