Paul’s ministry experience was turbulent (to say the least), but he was always fruitful. His ministry was astonishingly successful, accompanied by signs and wonders, and yet he suffered for it. In Lystra and Derbe, Paul was stoned nearly to death! (Acts 14:19-20) When Paul came back through Iconium, Lystra and Derbe he warns the believers of something that had been a matter of constant experience for him. He says: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (14:22). He is not talking about how to get to heaven. The good news of the Kingdom is not just about something future, but something that is happening in the present. Paul is saying that, if you want to be a part of what God is doing in the world, you will encounter many obstacles and much opposition. Jesus said the same: “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). But the hardships will only make us more fruitful if we “remain true to the faith” (Acts 14:22). The only way to go through hardships is to grow through hardships. The other option is to become embittered by the injustices of life. Be careful, because if you find yourself responding in this way, you may get stuck there. The key to going through hardship is this: don’t focus on your situation, rather, focus on what God is saying to you in your situation. You can’t change your situation, but you yourself can change through it. That is how we triumph in the end. Go through hardship by growing through hardship.
Spend some time reflecting on what God might be saying to you right now.
Read Acts 14:8-28
