Romans 8:28  – “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”      

 DAILY READING  Luke 20:1-26; Genesis 35:1-36:43; Psalm 27

In 1920, an 18 year old boy, stood before a Presbyterian Church examining board that was selecting missionaries. As he stood there, one dream dominated his heart; He wanted to be a missionary. Over and over again, he prayed, “Lord, I want to go as a missionary for You. Open a door of service for me.”

Standing before the board he felt his prayers would be answered. But when the examination was over, the board had turned down his offer. He had failed their test; they felt he was not healthy enough. This young man was utterly devastated, and disappointed. His life dream had just been shattered before his eyes.

He could have been offended at members of the board, but rather he chose to seek God’s face. And as he prayed, God planted another idea in his heart. If he could not go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries. And that was what he did. This young man was Oswald J Smith, who founded The People’s Church in Toronto. The People’s church would eventually send out more missionaries than any other church at that time. Oswald J. Smith raised about $14,000,000.00 for foreign missions, more than any other pastor in his time, and half of this was from his own church.  He would become one of the most versatile Christian leaders in the history of the church. He was  a pastor, evangelist, missionary, author, hymn writer, world traveler, poet and editor. Over the course of eighty years he preached more than 12,000 sermons in 80 countries. He wrote thirty-five books, as well as 1,200 poems. Oswald Jeffrey Smith was greatly used by God, to impact his generation.

Indeed his disappointment was turned into a blessing!  Instead of bemoaning his fate when turned down by the missionary board, he rather sought God for a way out. And by following divine counsel, he experienced a positive change of story. God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.

The truth is that anyone who aims to get  ahead in life, will have to overcome setbacks.  As long as you are getting up and trying to do something with your life, you will be confronted by disappointing situations at one time or the other. But the difference between the winners and losers is the way they view such setbacks. While losers see setback as the end of the road, winners only see it as a bend in the road.

Jesus said in Mathew 18:7 ‘for it must needs be that offences come;.’

That means we are bound to face offending situations in life. There will be times you may be treated unjustly or unfairly; but the question is how do you react? Someone said life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

You don’t let people’s actions determine the outcome of your life. You don’t let how someone treated you become the full stop in your life story. No matter what they did to you, you can put it behind you, still forge ahead and become all that God said you are to be in life.

In every disappointment there is an equivalent seed of blessing. What the enemy meant for evil, God can always turn around for your good. Therefore don’t just sit and bemoan your fate over disappointments. Rather seek God in prayer and find out what His will is concerning you in that situation. And as you follow the leading of The Spirit, no matter how initially disappointing things may seem, God is able to cause all things to work together for your good.

 PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for reversing every disappointing situation into a blessing in my life. I know that even right now, You are causing all things to work together for my good in Jesus Name.

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Faith is more than just believing, it is acting upon The Word that you believe.