Monday; September 28
Why do we go through difficult times? This is one of those age-old questions that has puzzled sages from all generations. Even today, we struggle with this dilemma and have come up with several reasons: it might be satan tempting us to reject God ... it could just be living life and experiencing the inherent consequences of earthly living ... maybe it is God putting us in trying situations so that we can grow and become better. There are several p ossibilities for why life is tough, but one that is not very popular these days is that we could be being disciplined for what we have done. We don’t talk about it a lot, but the New Testament reminds us of God’s interaction with us, “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”, then notes, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.