OUR DAILY BREAD             Thurs., April 27, 1995
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READ:   Romans 8:16-30

            GROANS NOW, GLORY LATER

   "Our light affliction... is working for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

                            -- 2 Corinthians 4:17

I once heard of a Christian seminar titled, "How
To Live A Stress-Free Life."  Such an unrealistic
hope promptly made me stressful!  Yet, we all long
for relief.

A Christian friend of mine whose family is exper-
iencing tough times admits feeling let down by God.
She said, "I've prayed, agonized, and claimed promises,
but nothing changes.  The frustrating thing is that
I know He has the power to get us out of this.  I've
seen Him do it before, but this time He's silent."

Larry Crabb, in his book "Inside Out," emphasizes that
our only hope for complete relief from hardship is to
be with Jesus in heaven.  "Until then," he says, "we
either groan or pretend we don't."  He adds, "The
experience of groaning, however, is precisely what
modern Christianity so often tries to help us escape."

My friend is groaning and she's not pretending she
isn't.  Like all of us, she simply wants things to
change.  But the fact is, something IS changing -- SHE is!
Paul assured us in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that our present
sufferings are lightweight and brief compared with the
weighty and eternal changes those sufferings are producing
in us.  So let's not lose heart.  There's glory ahead!
(Rom. 8:18).

                                -- Joanie E. Yoder

        The obstacles that we must face
            Along life's rocky way,
        Are used by God so we might hear
         "Well done" from Him  someday.

                                -- Sper
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           THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
-------------------------------------
         God often uses a setback
             to move us ahead.

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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  2 Chronicles 14-16

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