"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm." — Ephesians 3:10
The powers and principalities, all the heavenly hosts and the dark rulers of the universe, millions of unseen beings are intensely interested to see just how "able" God is to sustain the weak and the weary.
Ephesians 3:10 tells us that God teaches the unseen world all about Himself, and He does it using you and me as His audio-visual aids. We are used of the Lord to show the universe how great, awesome, and wonderful God and his grace are. Let's say some demon dares waltz up to heaven’s throne and sneers, "God, people only trust You because You bless them with health and strength. But let me put a kink in the lower back of some missionary. Then allow me to take away his financial support. I just bet that missionary would end up denying you."
But God would answer, "Oh, no; you're wrong. That exact scenario happened to Mr. Brown, and he trusted me. I worked through his obedience, and because of his testimony, many more people heard of the Son's love."
At that point, the demon would shrink away, and the glory surrounding God would glow even brighter. Mr. Brown's sufferings not only helped him to grow in Christ, but they demonstrated to that demon and millions like him how powerful God's sustaining grace is. The result? Greater glory to God. One day it will be shown to all that God was able to rescue sinners, redeem suffering, crush the rebellious, restore all things, vindicate his holy name, provide restitution… and come out all the more glorious for it! What an honor to share in that.
When you feel surrounded by tough circumstances, remember, you have the chance to be a Mr. Brown. God will use that situation to build you up spiritually and to highlight His glory.
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Lord, so much is going on in this world I can't see. But I sure can have an affect on what’s happening! May I do so to Your glory.
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