Turning Adversity into Opportunity

Names are important. People’s names can offer insight into their identity. In Scripture, God has revealed Himself to us through the use of different names. He has done this so that we can gain different perspectives on who He is. One name alone cannot fully represent who He is. The emphasis in Acts 3 and 4 is on the power of the name of the Lord Jesus. His name has all authority behind it because His name is above every name (Phil. 2:9). Luke records the account of a lame man at the temple that received supernatural healing from God at the hands of Peter and John. This man had been lame since birth and had never known a healthy day. His life consisted of begging for help to survive. When you read Luke's account of this event, there's a hint of things just occurring randomly, Peter and John just happened to be going by, and coincidentally they run into a beggar... We know, of course, that nothing happens by accident. God had prearranged this meeting for His Divine purpose. The Spirit of God often does that. He brings people and circumstances into our lives that He wants us to act on. Our problem is we're often too busy or even cynical to notice, so we end up missing opportunities that are in plain view. Please understand that God did not create the world with pain, blindness, disease, or death. Those things all came through the corruption of sin, our sin. Miracles point us to the world God created and as He will return to it someday. To those experiencing adversity, pain, or hardships, your great hope and sustaining joy is to be reminded that it’s all temporary. One day Christ will return and fulfill His promise to make "all things new!"

Press On! Pastor Brian Richard