By: David McFadden

“In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, establish, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. All power to Him forever! Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-11)

We have all seen the rainbow as it spans the plain. Glorious are its colors, and rare its hues. It is beautiful, but, alas, it slowly passes away, and then it’s gone. The fair colors give way to the fleecy clouds, and the sky is no longer brilliant with the tints of heaven. Do we wonder about its fleeting nature, how it’s not permanent? How can a glorious show made up of transitory sun beams and passing rain-drops abide?  

The graces of the Christian character must not resemble the rainbow in its transitory beauty, but, on the contrary, must be established, settled, abiding. Seek, O believer, that every good thing you have may be an abiding thing. May your character not be a written upon sand, but an inscription upon the rock! May your faith be no “baseless fabric of a vision,” but may it be built of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite.  

May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desires earnest. May your whole life be so settled and established, that all the blasts of hell, and all the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you.  

But notice how this blessing of being “established in the faith” is gained. The apostle points us with these words, “…after you have suffered a little while.” It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough winds pass over us. Those old gnarled roots of the oak tree, and its strange twisted branches, all tell of the many storms that have swept over it. You might say that its transformed character indicates the depth into which the roots have forced their way.  

Is there a truth that we can glean from these illustrations? Can we agree with Peter and prove that ours is not a transitory belief, and the Christian is made strong, and firmly rooted by all the trials and storms of life? Shrink not then from the tempestuous winds of trial, but take comfort,  believing that in the midst of the storms He has “placed you on a firm foundation” and He affirms you as His own.

—Charles H. Spurgeon, adapted from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening, Inc. All rights reserved.

Taking God’s Word Back to Him

Heavenly Father, thank You for the beauty of Your kingdom and every good and perfect gift given to me as Your child—You bless my coming in and my going out! How wonderful to be in Your loving care. LORD, help me abide in You and trust You and remain established, settled, so I will not be subject to every whim or chase after strange doctrines. Develop in me trustworthy character that is written upon the Rock of Your Word. Transform me into the person who is able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite. LORD, help me be rooted and grounded in love with deep convictions, and where my love is real and my desires are earnest.  Transform my character so that my roots are forced deeply in the soil of Your Word, where in the  midst of the storms of life You affirm me as Your own. I praise You and ask these petitions in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Excerpted and adapted from David McFadden’s “Deeper Life Series”.

For more articles from this series go to: https://www.deeperlifeseries.com/devotional-archive

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