God's Promises Part 1

John 16:33
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I see this Promise in two parts
• In this world you will have trouble
God does not promise those who love Him an easy life. On the contrary, in this verse, he actually promises us that life will not be easy. Trouble will follow us in this life. Look at the early Christians, were they not put in chains, persecuted and even killed for their faith? Perhaps then we should rejoice in our hardships?
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15: 18-19
• And the second part of the promise : But take heart! I have overcome the world.
So, having promised us hardship, God tells us to take heart! He has already overcome the world through his gift of Jesus Christ, and we are free! So whilst we may suffer hardship on this earth, ultimately we have no need to be afraid.

Perhaps the new year is a good time for us to look at this promise and see how we will claim it in our lives.

When faced with hardships in life, we can either allow them to knock us over and crush us or ride them and when we come out the other side, put them behind us.