Romans 5:3
3 And [de] not [ou] only [monon] so, but [alla] we glory [kauchaomai] in [en] tribulations [thlipsis]
also [kai]: knowing [eido] that [hoti] tribulation [thlipsis] worketh [katergazomai]
patience [hupomone]; KJV-Interlinear
3 Not
only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, ESV
If you allow circumstances of life to control your
mood, then you are a slave to the circumstances of life. And you should know full well that life is
full of changing circumstances.
Who lives on rose petals all of their life?
No one.
No matter who or what you are, life is going to be
full of trials, troubles, and tribulations. That means problems and no smooth road ahead.
This is the devils world. He stole it from Adam by tricking Eve. And, the Lord had to purchase it back through
His work on the Cross, which was a strategic victory, but will not be a
tactical victory until the Second Advent, when Jesus Christ returns and takes
back possession of the world to set up His Kingdom.
But that will last only 1000 years, and even then,
while Jesus is right here on the earth, people will still eventually reject Him
as Lord.
It will not be until the end of the Millennium and the
start of the new universe and eternity, that we will finally receive back, that
which God gave us in the first place.
But until then, we have stress and trouble and burdens
and more, because of our failures, and because it is the devils world, for the time
being, anyway.
So, what joy do we have now?
Well, we have Christ. We have salvation. We have Bible doctrine. We have the knowledge and confidence that it will
all turn out for the better, no matter what difficulties we encounter in this
life.
So we set aside, our focus on the problems and we
wait. We wait patiently.
Life has a funny way of teaching. And unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we
have troubles to help us learn.
Trouble teaches us patience, tolerance, and most of
all, appreciation that what is to come, will be well worth it all, and more.
