Property Of God
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Tests and Suffering:
Those are a few stories Translated from Arabic into English by myself, written by an Egyptian Christian writer, Markus Azeez.
1) Canes:
A rich Indian woman lived all of her life walking using 2 canes due to some health problems in her nervous system, oneday she fell off the stairs and one of the canes got broken and she couldn't find the other.
The servants of the house weren't there so she had no one to lend her a helping hand, she kept on praying and dragging her body helplessy, after hours of trying and effort, she stood up on her feet and walked!
Since that day she never used the canes again so this fall that was cursed by her and thought of as her worst day ever, turned into the happiest day in her life!
All her sufferings were turned to blessings!
2) Volcanos:
So many people perceive volcanos as hatred signs of God, showing how angry and cruel God is that he lets his creatures suffer so much, but what science claims is that if it wasn't for volcanos, the earth would have exploded long time ago and vanished due to air pressure on the earth surface.
How lovely is our God, even if we think some sufferings are total disasters, they are for our own good!
3) Jesus and the ship:
1- Jesus's exsitense in the ship is a very vital matter, otherwise it is in the fist of our enemy, driven by thunders and storms until it breaks down and drowns.
2- Jesus's existense in the ship doesn't mean that storms and waves won't hit our ship.
3- Even if Jesus seems to be sleeping in the ship, he is watching over us and protecting using from an invisible danger, testing our faith.
4- As long as Jesus is in the ship, it won't drown it only drowns if he leaves the ship.
5- All our efforts to save ourselves without going to Jesus are very exhausting and useless, it only leads us to pain and weakness, and the only thing we discover is that we are good for absolutely nothing without him.
6- Storms, winds and darkness are ways to acknowledge Jesus strengths and testing his power over all things.
7- As long as Jesus is in the ship we'll reach our destination, the harbour, without slowing down with complete faith that no matter what may face the ship, we'll get home.
Tests don't matter, what matter is, have you let Jesus into the ship of your life?
4) Sweetly:
Once upon a time there was a rigtheous monk who fell into sin, and the other monks casted him away and treated him very badly, it broke his heart and he travelled into another city where there was a faithful old monk living all alone, followed by the other monks, complaining about how horribly they condemned him pretending to be flawless and perfect.
When the monk saw him, he smiled at him and with so much pity and kindness he said:
"You are reminding me of a man who was standing on the shore and his feet fell into the water and the mud, dragging him down into it, he called to his friends for help but instead of pulling him out, they pushed him down even deeper!"
Helping sinful people need mercy, pity and wisedom!
5) Glorifying God:
Suffering are helpful for glorifying God, as it was like in the born blind man's story.
"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth, and his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed to him" John 9:1-3
and also "But when Jesus heard he said, this illness does not lead to death, it is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified through it." John 11:4
- "this he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God" John 21:19
So, how glorifying it is to suffer just to glorify God!?
6) Close your eyes to temptations:
There was an ill young boy called Henry, he could barely move around his room due to his illness.
his younger sister walked into his room, holding a little piece of chocolate, Henry's mom warned him about eating candy because he still was unwell.
But the temptation kept luring him and the piece of chocolate in his sister's hands seemed very attractive, he wanted to avoid all this so he told his sister:
"Jenny, you need to run out of the room to take my eyes off this piece of chocolate, and I promise i'll put my hands on my eyes and cover them until you leave so that I won't miss it."
7) Tests and prayers:
Satan is able to create a concrete fence made of tests and temptations, and create 4 walls around us with no doors, windows and any other way out!
but there is only one thing he can't do, he can't create a ceiling that can stop our connection with heavens, and if we left our hands and faces up, we will find heavens doors open, and that is our way out.
8) Into his arms:
A pastor was sitting in his house office, concentrating in some writing he was preparing for his sermon, he didn't notice his 3 years old daughter getting inside the room, only when he heard paper ripping sounds he turned around to find her tearing a very valuable book of his.
He flipped out and got very angry that he hit her, the 3 years old burst into tears and ran into his arms crying instead of running outside.
The father was very touched by her behavior, he held her so close and patted her and gave her a fatherly kiss on her cheek until she calmed down.
He said: "My daughter of the 3 years taught me a lesson I'll never forget, when God hits us with a test, instead of getting angry and running away, we shoukd run into his arms and weep."
9) Not our strengths, but God's:
Tests are fought by 2 ways:
1- Face to face
2- Taking our minds off it, and focusing closer and deeper in God.
When a child thinks he saw a monster, he doesn't wait to fight him face to face, but as soon as he spots it, he runs to his mother with complete faith that he is safe.
That's how we are safe, by turning to God.
If we try to fight our enemies (the devil) while we are still fragile and weak, we'll probably get hurt, but if we throw ourselves at him, we'll find so much power inside us at once.
David said: "I've set the LORD always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." Psalm 16-8:9
-"The lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." Exodus 14:14
10) Falling twice:
Little Nathalie was walking down the street with her father, holding his hand tightly.
few minutes later she wanted to feel the air and break free from her father's grip, so she nagged about letting her go, he let her go knowing she'll fall down but he knew she must learn it herself.
Minutes later she fell down and ran to him and held his hands from her own, silently, her father gave her his hand with a smile.
Once again, she let go of his hand and walked on her own, few seconds later she stumbled and fell once again!
Only then she understood how important it is to keep holding her father's hands and to let her father lead and protect her, because he is stronger, only after falling twice.
So is falling twice teach us to put our hand in God's hand without arguing with him so that we won't stumble and fall?
Those are a few stories Translated from Arabic into English by myself, written by an Egyptian Christian writer, Markus Azeez.
1) Canes:
A rich Indian woman lived all of her life walking using 2 canes due to some health problems in her nervous system, oneday she fell off the stairs and one of the canes got broken and she couldn't find the other.
The servants of the house weren't there so she had no one to lend her a helping hand, she kept on praying and dragging her body helplessy, after hours of trying and effort, she stood up on her feet and walked!
Since that day she never used the canes again so this fall that was cursed by her and thought of as her worst day ever, turned into the happiest day in her life!
All her sufferings were turned to blessings!
2) Volcanos:
So many people perceive volcanos as hatred signs of God, showing how angry and cruel God is that he lets his creatures suffer so much, but what science claims is that if it wasn't for volcanos, the earth would have exploded long time ago and vanished due to air pressure on the earth surface.
How lovely is our God, even if we think some sufferings are total disasters, they are for our own good!
3) Jesus and the ship:
1- Jesus's exsitense in the ship is a very vital matter, otherwise it is in the fist of our enemy, driven by thunders and storms until it breaks down and drowns.
2- Jesus's existense in the ship doesn't mean that storms and waves won't hit our ship.
3- Even if Jesus seems to be sleeping in the ship, he is watching over us and protecting using from an invisible danger, testing our faith.
4- As long as Jesus is in the ship, it won't drown it only drowns if he leaves the ship.
5- All our efforts to save ourselves without going to Jesus are very exhausting and useless, it only leads us to pain and weakness, and the only thing we discover is that we are good for absolutely nothing without him.
6- Storms, winds and darkness are ways to acknowledge Jesus strengths and testing his power over all things.
7- As long as Jesus is in the ship we'll reach our destination, the harbour, without slowing down with complete faith that no matter what may face the ship, we'll get home.
Tests don't matter, what matter is, have you let Jesus into the ship of your life?
4) Sweetly:
Once upon a time there was a rigtheous monk who fell into sin, and the other monks casted him away and treated him very badly, it broke his heart and he travelled into another city where there was a faithful old monk living all alone, followed by the other monks, complaining about how horribly they condemned him pretending to be flawless and perfect.
When the monk saw him, he smiled at him and with so much pity and kindness he said:
"You are reminding me of a man who was standing on the shore and his feet fell into the water and the mud, dragging him down into it, he called to his friends for help but instead of pulling him out, they pushed him down even deeper!"
Helping sinful people need mercy, pity and wisedom!
5) Glorifying God:
Suffering are helpful for glorifying God, as it was like in the born blind man's story.
"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth, and his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed to him" John 9:1-3
and also "But when Jesus heard he said, this illness does not lead to death, it is for the glory of God, so that the son of God may be glorified through it." John 11:4
- "this he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God" John 21:19
So, how glorifying it is to suffer just to glorify God!?
6) Close your eyes to temptations:
There was an ill young boy called Henry, he could barely move around his room due to his illness.
his younger sister walked into his room, holding a little piece of chocolate, Henry's mom warned him about eating candy because he still was unwell.
But the temptation kept luring him and the piece of chocolate in his sister's hands seemed very attractive, he wanted to avoid all this so he told his sister:
"Jenny, you need to run out of the room to take my eyes off this piece of chocolate, and I promise i'll put my hands on my eyes and cover them until you leave so that I won't miss it."
7) Tests and prayers:
Satan is able to create a concrete fence made of tests and temptations, and create 4 walls around us with no doors, windows and any other way out!
but there is only one thing he can't do, he can't create a ceiling that can stop our connection with heavens, and if we left our hands and faces up, we will find heavens doors open, and that is our way out.
8) Into his arms:
A pastor was sitting in his house office, concentrating in some writing he was preparing for his sermon, he didn't notice his 3 years old daughter getting inside the room, only when he heard paper ripping sounds he turned around to find her tearing a very valuable book of his.
He flipped out and got very angry that he hit her, the 3 years old burst into tears and ran into his arms crying instead of running outside.
The father was very touched by her behavior, he held her so close and patted her and gave her a fatherly kiss on her cheek until she calmed down.
He said: "My daughter of the 3 years taught me a lesson I'll never forget, when God hits us with a test, instead of getting angry and running away, we shoukd run into his arms and weep."
9) Not our strengths, but God's:
Tests are fought by 2 ways:
1- Face to face
2- Taking our minds off it, and focusing closer and deeper in God.
When a child thinks he saw a monster, he doesn't wait to fight him face to face, but as soon as he spots it, he runs to his mother with complete faith that he is safe.
That's how we are safe, by turning to God.
If we try to fight our enemies (the devil) while we are still fragile and weak, we'll probably get hurt, but if we throw ourselves at him, we'll find so much power inside us at once.
David said: "I've set the LORD always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken." Psalm 16-8:9
-"The lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." Exodus 14:14
10) Falling twice:
Little Nathalie was walking down the street with her father, holding his hand tightly.
few minutes later she wanted to feel the air and break free from her father's grip, so she nagged about letting her go, he let her go knowing she'll fall down but he knew she must learn it herself.
Minutes later she fell down and ran to him and held his hands from her own, silently, her father gave her his hand with a smile.
Once again, she let go of his hand and walked on her own, few seconds later she stumbled and fell once again!
Only then she understood how important it is to keep holding her father's hands and to let her father lead and protect her, because he is stronger, only after falling twice.
So is falling twice teach us to put our hand in God's hand without arguing with him so that we won't stumble and fall?
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