Rom 14:7-9
“If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  For this very reason , Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”

    Our youth director, Paul, wrote a great story which he shared with the youth group recently.    It was about a man who became lost in the mountains, broke his leg, and found himself facing death.   In the midst of facing hopelessness, he turned to God and gave his life to Jesus in response to a moment of enlightened hope near a flickering campfire.    There was an instant transformation.   His leg was still in bad shape, the pain wasn’t gone,  but there was a dramatic change in his heart.    As Paul said it in his story, “The pain in his leg now became more of a reason to live than a reason to die.” 
   
     That part of the story captured my heart.    Can pain be a reason to live?  If I belong to the Lord, I have life deep within that the pains of the world cannot destroy.   There is hope.   Sometimes, perseverance through the pains of this life might be the most effective means to share the hope that we have in Christ Jesus.   My most effective witness is sometimes in the way I face hardship and hopeless situations….as a way to experience Christ more deeply.    

     Sometimes, pain is a shortcut to deeper life.     As the Apostle Paul put it……..  “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…”  (Phil 3:10)

     His power is made perfect in weakness.   His grace is sufficient.  His mercies are new every morning.   His grace abounds.