A Generous Vine

“The most generous vine, if not pruned, runs out into many superfluous stems and grows at last weak and fruitless: so doth the best man if he be not cut short in his desires, and pruned with afflictions.”

–Joseph Hall

“The agony of man’s affliction is often necessary to put him into the right mood to face the fundamental things of life. The Psalmist says. “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I have kept Thy Word.”

–Oswald Chambers

 

 

 

The Incredible Weight of Glory

“Afflictions are light when compared with what we really deserve. They are light when compared with the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. But perhaps their real lightness is best seen by comparing them with the weight of glory which is awaiting us.”  

A.W. Pink

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”

2 Corinthians 4:17. KJV

 

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”

2 Corinthians 4:17. NLT

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming Separated From Sin

“The wisdom of God appears in afflictions. By these He separates the sin which He hates, from the son whom He loves. By these thorns He keeps him from breaking over into Satan’s pleasant pastures, which would fatten him indeed, but only to the slaughter.”

–James H. Aughey

“For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”

1 Petter 4:3

 

 

 

 

Adversity- Our Choice

“The conflict will always be beyond your strength. The enemy always pushes us beyond our personal, inbred, preset limits concerning how far we will go for God. The test kills the limits of our humanity, until we are like Christ in everything. We are left with a choice: Become Christlike or gradually shrivel into superficial hypocrites: angry people who have stopped walking with God, who blame others for our bitterness.”

–Francis Frangipane

 “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

Hebrews 13:5