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DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT
By Lori Kennedy
"When
they came together in Galilee, he said to them, 'The Son of Man is going to be
betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day
he will be raised to life.' And the disciples were filled with
grief."
Matthew 17:22-23 (NIV)
I
don’t know about you, but I get discouraged sometimes. Sometimes I see
the glass as half empty instead of half full. When this happens, it’s
important for me to recognize my discouragement might be coming from the way
that I am viewing the situation. That means there is some ability for me
to find a positive perspective.
Jesus
predicts his death the second time in Matthew 17:22-23 (above). The
scripture says that the disciples were filled with grief even though Jesus said
that on the third day he would be raised to life. They saw the glass
as half empty and were unable to comprehend the rest of what was said. Remember
that before Jesus came to the earth in human form, the concept of death was the
end, not the beginning. This was a very out-of-the-box concept for
these men, and they were unable to find the hope in Jesus’ death, even though
he also stated that he would be raised to life.
Our
capacity to understand this concept on this side of Jesus’ death, burial, and
resurrection is greatly increased, yet we still struggle with this
concept. Jesus conquered the grave, and his spotless blood covered
our sins for all eternity. We can now look at death as the beginning
versus the end. Revelation 21:4 (NIV) says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things
has passed away."
It
is a proven botanical fact that a seed that has been planted must die in order
to grow into what it was designed to become and produce fruit. Jesus
spoke of this in the Bible in John 12:24 (NIV), “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of
wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if
it dies, it produces many seeds.” It will produce many
seeds because from the death of the original seed grows new life. From
this new life many seeds can be produced.
Sometimes something in our life must die in order for new life to
be created. Sometimes this “death” can feel very discouraging. If
you’re feeling discouraged or shrouded by shame today, go to
God and ask Him if there is anything in your life that must die in order to
bring about new life. Feel confident today in God’s character and
promises. There is hope for your future!
- In what areas have
you dealt with discouragement?
- How have you
handled it?
- What was the
outcome?
- What is your
Heavenly Father leading you to do as a result of what you've read today?
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Connect with Lori Kennedy at www.LoriKennedy.com
Connect with Lori Kennedy at www.LoriKennedy.com
