If you have a copy of the Gospel Primer, you may know that Part 1 of the book is divided into 31 parts. So you can read an entry each day of the week.
My favorite entry is #18. When I give this book as a gift, I highlight or mark this entry.
Here is my favorite line in Perspective in Trials.
For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me.
Here is the entire entry.
More than anything else could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials. 69 The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ. 70
Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God’s good work in me.
Vincent, Milton. A Gospel Primer for Christians (Kindle Locations 334-342). Focus Publishing. Kindle Edition.
The scripture passages in this entry are
69. Romans 5:1-5
70. Romans 8:28-29; James 1:2-4; 1 Corinthians 12:7-10
1 comment:
I also hilighted the whole thing in my Gospel Primer! An amazing book I have gone thru many times and I am thankful I date it each time.
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