Thursday

Related Verses
Rom. 5:3-4, 11
3 And not only so, but we also boast in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance;
4 And endurance, approvedness; and approvedness, hope;
11 And not only so, but also boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

2 Cor. 12:7-9
7 And because of the transcendence of the revelations, in order that I might not be exceedingly lifted up, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, that he might buffet me, in order that I might not be exceedingly lifted up.
8 Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me.

Rom. 8:28-29
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

Related Reading
In the realm of grace we boast in God (Rom. 5:11). The Greek word translated “boast” has at least three meanings: “boast,” “exult,” meaning to rejoice, and “glory.”…As we stand in the realm of grace and walk the way of peace, we constantly boast, exult, and glory in our God. This means that we enjoy God.

Our natural being needs to be sanctified, transformed, and conformed. Therefore, God brings in certain tribulations and sufferings for our good. This is clearly revealed in Romans 8:28-29, where we are told that God causes all things to work together for good that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. Hence, tribulation and suffering are for our transformation. We all appreciate peace, grace, and glory, but no one likes tribulation. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 102-103)

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Tribulation is actually the incarnation of grace with all the riches of Christ. This is similar to the incarnation of God in Jesus. Apparently, He was simply the man Jesus; actually, He was God. Apparently, our environment is tribulation; actually, it is grace…The six items [in Romans 5] of love, grace, peace, hope, life, and glory, along with the three persons of the Godhead all supersede tribulation. Nevertheless, tribulation is a visitation of grace.

If we say that we appreciate grace but not tribulation, it is like saying that we love God but not Jesus. However, to reject Jesus is to reject God. Likewise, to reject tribulation is to reject grace. Why was God incarnated? Because He wanted to come to us. The incarnation of God was His gracious visitation. Surely we all love such a visit from God. If we love His visit, we must love His incarnation. It is the same with grace and tribulation. Tribulation is the incarnation of grace visiting us. Although we love God’s grace, we must also kiss the tribulation, which is the incarnation of grace, the sweet visitation of grace.

Many people dislike the cross because it is a suffering, a tribulation. Madame Guyon, on the contrary, kissed each cross, waiting for more to come, because she realized that the cross brought God to her…She welcomed the cross, for when she had the cross, she had God. Tribulation is a cross, and grace is God as our portion for our enjoyment. This grace mainly visits us in the form of tribulation.

The experience of tribulation produces endurance (v. 3). Endurance is more than patience; it is the product of patience plus suffering. None of us was born with endurance; it is produced by the suffering of tribulation.

We may experience this endurance in the small things of life…[A] small thing I hate is when people are late for an appointment. Although such delays are a suffering to me, they help me gain endurance. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 103-104)

After being redeemed, we are put into a long process of life. Sometimes it is not comfortable being in this process, but God knows all that we need for Him to complete His process in us. He knows what local church we need to meet with and what brothers should take the lead in that church. He also knows which wife or husband is best for us and how many children we should have. Moreover, He knows what kind of job and what kind of employer we need. He knows all our needs for the carrying out of this life process. The process in life is indicated by Romans 8:28, which says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The “all things” mentioned in this verse include all persons, all matters, and all things. (CWWL, 1971, vol. 3, “Being Saved in Christ’s Life and Walking according to the Spirit for the Building Up of the Body of Christ,” pp. 28-29)

Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msg. 9