909 Considered Worthy of the Kingdom - 2 Thessalonians 1:5

Are you worthy of the Kingdom of God?   "This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering." 2 Thessalonians 1:5 ESV   By saying "this is evidence," Paul is pointing back to the previous verses and we covered those yesterday. Our ability to grow spiritually through difficulty is evidence of God's judgment. Our growth is proof of his promises in scripture.   And it appears that our suffering is of of the ways God shows that we've been considered as righteous. God qualifies us for eternal life and a relationship with him and our ability to grow through suffering is proof of God and his strategy. Everyone has trouble (John 16:33). But we go through it differently, or we should, because we know Jesus has overcome the world. Our handling the difficulties in a way that makes God visible shows that we're part of his strategy.   So what? Is this only for us? No way. We live our lives as Christ-followers to show others what happens when you follow Jesus. We will all experience hardship, but in the end we will be winners. Second Corinthians chapter 4 talks about how we are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).   Ask God to show you how to love others and enjoy your relationship with him in whatever situation you are in like Paul talked about in Philippians 4:12-13. We can do all things, even the hard ones, through Jesus who strengthens us. Jesus is using us in the presence of the people in our sphere of influence. You are seen by people and you experience things and they're all allowed by God so that our trust of him would be visible to others. Being thankful and growing in difficulty is one of the ways we show others, we're considered worthy of the Kingdom.   Thanks for listening and considering how your life can make an eternal difference. We're a donor supported ministry. This podcast, our online community and our activities, like the Marketplace Mission Trips are all donor supported. Please consider making a gift to Follower of One so others can hear the podcast and take part in our community with no up-front cost. Head over to www.FollowerOfOne.org and click the green "Donate" button to make a contribution. Thanks.