For our sake

Here's an interesting fact: everything that happens to us and everything that we do is not only for God's sake or other's sake, but also for our sake.

God works in mysterious ways for sure. For us to receive good things, we must first do good to others. If we are hurting, the best way to get over it is to love another. If we are going through a bad time, we should help others get over their bad times and we will heal faster!

Similarly when we share the Gospel with others, we will learn more about God. As we continue to spread His word and do His work, we will learn new things and see God in a different way. Serving others not only lifts them up, it also brings us up!

And enduring pain is also for our sake! As Richard Blackaby said yesterday, there are some things about God that we can only learn through pain. And it is only through pain that we learn just how far we will go for God. It is always easy in peaceful times to say we love God, we will follow all His commands etc. And of course, it's always easy to be Christlike when everything is going our way. But when trouble comes along, when we hit a wall, what would we do then? Would we still sing His praises? Would we defiantly state our love for Christ? Will we continue to be Christlike or will we abandon it all just to fit in the crowd? God knows how we will do when trouble comes along, He allows it to come so that we would know how much we love Him.

In short, while everything that we do and everything that happens is for God's plan to come about and also to lead others back to Him, it's also to grow us. How amazing is that? Everything that happens has a threefold aim. And it fulfills it everytime. So remember, everything that happens is for our good and for our sake, not only the sake of others or God's.