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The Christian Life is not a Bed of Roses

Great assurances are scriptural and true — praise God, they are!

But it is possible so to stress them, and so to play down the rougher side of the Christian life —the daily chastening, the endless war with sin and Satan, the periodic walk in darkness— as to give the impression that normal Christian living is a perfect bed of roses, a state of affairs in which everything in the garden is lovely all the time, and problems no longer exist — or, if they come, they have only to be taken to the throne of grace, and they will melt away at once. This is to suggest that the world, the flesh, and the devil will give us no serious trouble once we are Christians; nor will our circumstances and personal relationships ever be a problem to us; nor will we ever be a problem to ourselves.

Such suggestions are mischievous, however, because they are false.
–J. I. Packer

Living the faithful Christian life is a battle. That is why God tells us to put on the spiritual armor He provides. People don’t need armor if they are walking through a rose garden. They need armor when they are about to face a difficult battle. Life is tough anyway. Life is tough for everyone. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. And becoming a Christian doesn’t change that. What it changes is that you will now have God walking with you and giving you the strength to have contentment and joy in the midst of all storms and evils that come your way.

Problems will come. But having Jesus beside you when they come sure is better.

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Quotes

He Is Transforming You

Know that your Lord isn’t only protecting, providing for, and enabling you, but he is working to change you as well…. The Savior is not just working through you in the lives of others, but he is also working in you as He works through you. He is not just calling you to be an agent of His transforming grace; He is transforming you by the same grace.
–Paul David Tripp