[Discoveries] 04-05-08 Fruitful in suffering -- Genesis 41:52

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*The second son [Joseph] named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has 
made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." -- Genesis 41:52*/

All of us want to bear fruit in our Christian lives. We want to deeply 
touch other people so that their lives are enriched and their eternal 
destiny is changed for the better.

I always tried to convince God that I was smart, gifted and talented. 
That He could really use someone like me. That the world needed me.

Of course, you can guess how far that went with God, and with anybody 
else. It wasn't until I suffered that I began to bear fruit. When I 
suffered, I discovered that all my gifts, talents and intelligence 
didn't help me. So I needed to put them aside and find out what did.

When I suffered, I began to hear the cries of others who felt the same 
pain I did. If I hadn't suffered, my ears would not have opened to their 
cries. When Jesus comforted me in my times of trouble, I began to see 
that I don't offer people the cup -- I offer them the water that is 
inside the cup. Likewise, I don't offer people my smarts or talents -- 
I'm just the cup. What I offer is the Jesus inside me. I don't have any 
answers; but He is the Answer.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

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