Monday, August 31, 2009

In the world...

Jesus said, "In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). I usually take this to mean that we will face trials that come from living in this world, external diffculties and struggles.

But I think that Jesus also would include in this statement troubles that come from within. Often I think that if I can just get things straightened out on the inside, things will be smooth sailing. Or another way of saying it is: I have to get my sinfulness and personal struggles straightened out before I can depend on God.

I have recently been encouraged by Jesus' reminder: In this world you will also face trouble from within. Your insides will often work to betray you. You will often face personal failure. But take heart--I have overcome the world, and I am with you always.

:)

2 comments:

Cary said...

i know my insides betray me ALL the time...wait, are we talking about regularity or something else?

Seriously though, good post man. I hadn't thought about it in that light before.

as I said earlier, let's catch up soon. School's going to kill me!
Augh!

TS said...

Thank you for another encouraging reminder of who I am in Christ. Of course we are all betrayed regularly by our insides - that's unfortunately a direct effect of having come from sin and living in a world that revolves around sin. Jesus sure knew what he was talking about.

Your blog is titled "how to survive this day and age". That's very appropriate considering you often/always use the words of Jesus.

wv: poidi - "He suddenly became very curious about her poidi."