{"id":12581,"date":"2016-08-17T01:36:38","date_gmt":"2016-08-17T06:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/consider-gods-work\/"},"modified":"2016-08-17T01:36:38","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T06:36:38","slug":"consider-gods-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/consider-gods-work\/","title":{"rendered":"CONSIDER GOD\u2019S WORK"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b>ECCLESIASTES 7:13\u20138:1<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><i>\u2026 who can make straight what He has made crooked?<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><i>(Eccl. 7:13)<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 18.0pt;line-height:normal'>The Preacher asks us to consider a deeply profound truth, which, when rightly understood, can help us through difficult times: \u201cConsider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 18.0pt;line-height:normal'>We learn from the Preacher that the best way to deal with the ups and downs of life is to consider things from God\u2019s point of view. God has promised that He will work all things out for our good\u2014if we are His children. He has promised that all things are designed according to His goodness and His wisdom\u2014all for His glory. God has also assured us that He is in control of all things\u2014the good and the bad. Therefore, we can be comforted remembering that everything that happens to us is for a wise and glorious purpose, and for our good.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 18.0pt;line-height:normal'>Because God has a purpose for every season of our lives, there is no sense in trying to change what God has already established. Instead of arguing with God and trying to thwart His purposes, let us take the advice of the Preacher: when times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider. God allows us to enjoy times of refreshment and ease, but as Charles Bridges cleverly puts it, \u201cit is hard to hold a full cup steady.\u201d Sometimes, God finds it necessary to pour a little, or a lot, from our cups to teach us to hold them more steady. During those times, it is our duty to consider what God is teaching us, to search out the good in the midst of adversity. We can be sure it is there.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: 18.0pt;line-height:normal'>Our lives have just the right amount of prosperity and adversity. God Keeps a perfect balance. \u201cWhat God has done, He has done best,\u201d Bridges writes. \u201cHe has indeed kept His own time, and used His own means\u2014not ours. But He has made us to see in the end, that His time and means are better than ours. Whatever seems to oppose or to perplex\u2014remember\u2014it is our Father\u2019s work; and let us learn to take a cheerful view of that lot, which He has ordained solely for our happiness, and which under His guidance will turn to the best account.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;   text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b>CORAM DEO<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;   text-align:center;line-height:normal'>Proverbs 1\u20132<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;   text-align:center;line-height:normal'>1 Corinthians 14:22\u201340<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;   text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b>WEEKEND<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;   text-align:center;line-height:normal'>Proverbs 3\u20136<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;   text-align:center;line-height:normal'>1 Corinthians 15:1\u201341<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:   18.0pt;line-height:normal'>Read Job 1:6\u20132:10. Who allowed Job to be   afflicted? Did Job recognize that God was in control of his adversity? How   did he deal with his affliction (1:21\u201322)? Think about how you deal with the   troubles you face. If you are facing some trial at this time, consider what   the Lord is teaching you and how you should respond.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:   normal'><i>For   further study: Job 11:7\u201320 \u2022 Prov. 21:1 \u2022 Isa. 55:6\u201313 \u2022 Dan. 4:34\u201337<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b>WEEKEND<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ECCLESIASTES 7:13\u20138:1 \u2026 who can make straight what He has made crooked? (Eccl. 7:13). The Preacher asks us to consider a deeply profound truth, which, when rightly understood, can help us through difficult times: \u201cConsider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/consider-gods-work\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;CONSIDER GOD\u2019S WORK&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}