For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:10
Jim Harvey was a successful manager in a multi-billion-dollar company. He was married, had a daughter attending a top university and was deacon in his church.
But then, over a period of 10 years, God did some major surgery in Jim's life. Here's his story:
I had tremendous confidence in my own ability. I tolerated no weakness; everything was under my control.
Then I learned my daughter was on hard drugs and my wife was addicted to alcohol. A short time later my daughter left college, and my wife filed for divorce. I gained custody of my two younger children and became a single parent.
I began to understand that, when I was helpless to deal with a situation, I could turn it over to God and He would meet my needs. I also became a serious student of the Bible, finishing five years of the Bible Study Fellowship program. I met and married Carole, a committed Christian. Surely, I thought, God was through teaching me and breaking down my pride. I was wrong.
When the stock market crashed in 1987, we lost most of our savings. Carole and I saw God's mercy when she had surgery for cancer that was successfully treated.
For years I tried to talk with my daughter about Christ, but she had no interest. Finally, Carole and I decided to pray and ask God to work in her life.
Two months later I received one of the most dreaded phone calls a parent can get: "Dad, I have tested positive with the AIDS virus." With nowhere else to turn, she received Christ as her Savior and has devoted her life to ministering in a hospital for dying AIDS patients.
I feel privileged to have learned the lessons each situation has brought. I'm better able to comfort those who find themselves in similar circumstances. With each trial, God has broken down my arrogance and pride, and has shown me His sufficiency.
Honest stuff, huh? Jim learned the hard way that God is still faithful when everything is stripped away.
Discuss: What has God done in the past to break down your pride? What has He done recently?
Pray: That God would show you how to depend on Him in times of trial.
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Excerpted from "Moments Together for Couples" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.
Used with permission. Copyright 1995 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. All
rights reserved. To purchase the book, visit ->
http://www.familylife.com/1-800-358-6329/detail.asp?id=1170
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