Valley Growth

And a very good morning to you. I greet you in Jesus’ precious name.

It is Monday morning. It is 22nd of August, the year 2022 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

If we start off with Psalm 34:19:

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

And then we go to the New Testament to 2 Timothy 3:12:

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 

I've never met a man yet, who is worth his salt, who has not been through fiery trials and persecutions. Remember - no pain, no gain. Ja, it’s painful but you see, some of these old boys and you look at those wrinkles... They'll tell you those aren't wrinkles, those are war maps - it's the road they’ve had to walk. Do you remember that story of the little butterfly in the cocoon? It was on the side of a window and a kind man was sitting writing in his book. He looked at the side of the window and there was this little butterfly struggling to get out of that cocoon. So the kind man thought that he would help her and he took a small little knife and carefully, he cut the cocoon open so that the butterfly could get out so much easier. He watched the butterfly come out of the cocoon, but the sad thing was, when the butterfly came out, it just flopped on the side of the window. It could not fly because her wings were not strong enough to carry her. They were not developed enough. You see, through the hard exercise of getting out of that cocoon, that butterfly strengthens her wings so that she can fly... No pain, no gain! You've heard that many, many times before, haven't you?

The old man who has been through a lot of hardship doesn't speak too much. He just smiles when he hears the young men talking about great exploits. In fact, Jesus himself, when the disciples came back, remember, they were telling the Lord that they'd cast out the demons, they'd set the captives free, and they'd been here and there... The Lord quietly said, ”Ja, but you must rejoice rather that your names have been written in the Lambs Book of Life.” 

Growth takes place in the valleys, it does not take place on the mountain-tops, even though we love to go to the mountain tops. You can ask any farmer, the crops are grown in the valleys in the times of hardship. So do not panic. If you're going through a hard time at present, rather embrace it. Ask the Lord Jesus to assist you, to give you strength and to teach you through the tough time. Nobody in the New Testament suffered more than the Apostle Paul and he said in Romans 5:3-4:

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” 

If you want character, allow the Lord to work through you. Have a wonderful day. Jesus bless you and goodbye.