Devotional for Friday, April 20, 2018
“The Future Pearl In Your Life”
by Dona Hake
God is at work in us! Praise Him today for this truth. May we be reminded of the truth that we serve a God that is not moved by circumstances, He is not moved by time, and He sees only victory as He moves forward with us. He desires that we grow in the fruit of longsuffering…with people and in those circumstances that do not necessarily make us desire to jump for joy.
There may be times in which we squirm when things are not moving as fast as we would like but let us remember …God is at work. He is not moved by what He sees, and He sees the end of everything. Maybe there are times that we wish the irritations and trials of this life would just go away but I encourage you today to stand strong and see those irritations in a different light. Perhaps we can see those “uncomfortable to the flesh” circumstances as a time of learning and growing in the Lord.
I am sharing with you today a quote from notes that I took when I had the joy of visiting North Wales and sat under the precious fellowship and ministry of Brother Arthur Burt. He has since gone to be with Jesus but his words are so precious to my heart. While this quote may be specific to dealing with irritations with people it can also be applied to anything in our lives that we face.
“The man – the one that rubs you the wrong way –, and tests your patience can enlarge you in your distress. The pearl – a real pearl – comes out of the grain of sand that is the irritation within the oyster. There are “grains of irritation” in your life God has permitted for the future pearl.”
Arthur Burt
James 1:2-4 (AMP)
“Consider it nothing but joy, my [a]brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”
“Consider it nothing but joy, my [a]brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.”