More Than Conquerors 

I love the YouVersion Bible app which I have on my ipad (it is available for Android devices too!) It has lots of different translations of the Bible plus loads of daily Bible reading plans. I have been doing one over the last few weeks which has been based on Oswald Chambers' Bible reflections in his book "My Upmost for His Highest."

I have to be honest I found it really hard work for the first few days and wondered about giving it up and doing something else. But for some reason I kept going and this week I have struck gold! It has been fantastic.

A few days ago Chambers was reflecting on a verse in a letter that Paul (one of Jesus' first followers) wrote to a bunch of people in a church in Rome. The verse says this "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

This is a part of what Chambers said "We are super victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us. Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. Let's apply that to our own circumstances. The things that we try to avoid and fight against - tribulation, suffering and persecution - are the very things that produce abundant joy in us."

I love that image of a big wave which frightens the swimmer but thrills the surfer. When we face challenges or difficulties in our lives, they are an opportunity to ride the wave of that challenge or difficultly with God and as we do so to find something deeper. Maybe instead of trying to avoid every trial and tribulation, challenge or difficulty, we should embrace them as an opportunity for God to do something in us...form our character, prove his faithfulness, draw us closer to him etc.

And in all of that we need to remember what Paul said - because of God's love for us we are more than conquerors.

God bless
Chris