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INSIGHTS from Bill Bright Reflections from the late Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ International A Lesson From Job Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy (James 1:2, NLT). Dear friends: Frankly, I do not like adversity, and probably no one does. Yet when adversities come, we can always count on God to see us through them and bless us from them. When I read Job I get blessed. God allowed Job to go through incredible tragedy and heartache. Think of the millions of people who benefit from Job's testimony. Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (13:15, KJV). That kind of radical trust pleases the Lord. While we may not look forward to adversity, we know when we get through it we will be a better servant for the Lord. * * * * * * * * * * * * ADVERTISEMENT * * * * * * * * * * * Do you long to be more eternally minded? Do you desire to make a difference in the lost world? This gripping message can revolutionize your life. Request your FREE book from Gospel for Asia today. http://l.salemweb.net/gfa0304b/in/112304/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Many people are shining examples of this. For example, I remember a woman who lost her son in a tragic accident, and her husband was very ill. Then one of her sweet, loving sons, raised in the church, announced that he was a homosexual. It went on and on, one problem after another. But when I heard her speak, she spoke with joy, thanksgiving and praise to God. There were many people in that audience who were having problems of their own who heard her and were blessed and encouraged by her trust in God. Trusting God, Job went through his problems, and came out the other side. We can always count on God to see us through to the other side. We cannot see the other side with our physical eyes, but we can see it with our spiritual eyes -- with the eye of faith. "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17, KJV). As with Job, God allows us to be tested, although He is not the author of evil, which is Satan's job description. When trials come our way, as they do in a fallen world, let us echo Peter: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6-7, NIV). By the way, a possible key as to why Job suffered is in his own confession: "What I feared has come upon me" (3:25). Fear, which is the opposite of faith, can produce a spiritual condition which Satan, through adversity, can see as an invitation to visit. Let us not be fearful, but faithful. Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns, Bill Bright ------- The late Dr. Bill Bright was Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 27,000 full-time staff and up to 500,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world's population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into 839 languages and viewed or listened to by over 5.7 billion people in 228 countries. Dr. Bright was also the author of more than fifty books. Dr. Bright recently co-founded Global Pastors Network to "Touch, Teach and Train" a group of 5 million new house churches around the world 24/7/365 at http://www.globalpastorsnetwork! .org. Copyright (c) 2003, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. However, readers may copy and distribute this message as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered. Forwarding this e-mail to friends is encouraged. For many evangelistic and spiritual growth materials, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ Web site at http://www.ccci.org. See http://www.campuscrusade.org for Bill Bright's own materials. Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com: http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.78.28761.4.1698058 For Copyright Terms visit http://link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.78.28761.5.1698058 ____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________ * This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. 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