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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : THE UNIVERSITY of ADVERSITY (Os Hillman)

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browny
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Joined: 2010/11/24
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 THE UNIVERSITY of ADVERSITY (Os Hillman)

This was in my mailbox. Send by Andrew Strom.
Love to share it...
Shalom to all my dear SI family!!
browny

THE UNIVERSITY of ADVERSITY-by Os Hillman.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trialyou are suffering, as though something strange were happening toyou. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed”(1 Peter 4:12-13).

I’ve observed a principle: The pathway to leadership almostalways takes us through the valley of adversity. We see thisprinciple not only in the story of Joseph, who endured thirteenyears of adversity, but also in the lives of many other leaders inboth the Old and New Testament. Moses was raised in the royal splendor of Pharaoh’s householdin Egypt, but he was forced to flee and spend 40 years in desertexile before God spoke from a burning bush and called him to leadthe Hebrew people out of slavery. Joshua spent the years of hisyouth as a slave in Egypt and his middle-aged years wandering inthe desert at Moses’ side. He was well acquainted with adversitywhen God called him to lead Israel’s armies in the conquest ofCanaan. The prophet Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lionsbefore he could reach a place of power and influence in theBabylonian courts. And we see this same pattern played out in thelives of David, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and other Old Testamentleaders. Turning to the New Testament, we see that even Jesus had toface adversity in the desert, suffering hunger, thirst, temptationand opposition from Satan. Only then could He begin His publicministry. The Lord’s disciples had to endure the loss of theirMaster, the failure of their own faith and character, and the darkdays of despair between the cross and the empty tomb before theycould become the founding leaders of the Lord’s church. It’s hard to find anyone in Christian history who became agreat leader without earning an advanced degree at the “Universityof Adversity.”

 2012/3/7 8:41Profile





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