Everyone has sorrow. Being a Christian does not exempt anyone from grief. But faith in Christ brings a transformation of sorrow. Not only are we taught to endure the sorrows that come to us patiently and submissively–but we are assured that there is a blessing in them for us, if we accept them with love and trust.
One of the deepest truths taught in the Bible–is that earthly sorrow has a mission in the sanctifying of life.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind! Romans 12:2
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness. 2 Corinthians 3:18
For the Christian, all of life’s conditions and circumstances are transformed.
Take the matter of CARE. Every life has “cares.” There are cares in business. There are cares in home-life. There are cares of poverty–but no less has the rich man his cares. Childhood has its anxieties; young faces sometimes appear careworn. No one can escape care!
The loss of all confidence in ones self, is the first essential in the believer’s growth in grace! The Christian, conscious of his own frailty, will turn unto the Lord for strength. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak–then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10
This is an excerpt from a letter from Legh Richmond (1772-1827) to one of his daughters. We all can be instructed by these words.
My dear daughter,
May my dear child be preserved from the defilements of a vain, dangerous, and destroying world. You know not, and I wish you never may know–its snares and corruptions!
I send you the following applications of my sermon on Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
On circumspection of walk, redemption of time, and general sincerity of character:
1. Adhere most scrupulously to Scriptural truth; and labor to preserve the strictest integrity, simplicity, and sincerity.
