The Grace of Strength
Trouble is an opportunity to develop spiritual strength and grow closer to God.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the importance of finding strength in God's grace, emphasizing that every trouble we face is an opportunity to grow in spiritual and moral strength. She highlights that challenges are meant to develop our character and increase our faith, as encountering difficulties helps us become stronger in our walk with God. Tileston encourages believers to face each day with courage and perseverance, knowing that through every trial, we have the chance to deepen our reliance on God's grace and emerge stronger in our faith.
Text
Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 TIMOTHY 2:1
I WOULD arise in all Thy strength
My place on earth to fill,
To work out all my time of war
With love's unflinching will.
Firm against every doubt of Thee
For all my future way--
To walk in Heaven's eternal light
Throughout the changing day.
ANNA L. WARING
EVERY trouble is an opportunity to win the grace of strength. Whatever else trouble is in the world for, it is here for this good purpose: to develop strength. For a trouble is a moral and spiritual task. It is something which is hard to do. And it is in the spiritual world as in the physical, strength is increased by encounter with the difficult. A world without any trouble in it would be, to people of our kind, a place of spiritual enervation and moral laziness. Fortunately, every day is crowded with care. Every day to every one of us brings its questions, its worries, and its tasks, brings its sufficiency of trouble. Thus we get our daily spiritual exercise. Every day we are blessed with new opportunities for the development of strength of soul.
GEORGE HODGES
Sermon Outline
- The Purpose of Trouble
- The Nature of Spiritual Strength
- Daily Opportunities for Spiritual Growth
- Every day brings new opportunities for strength development
- Trouble provides daily spiritual exercise
Key Quotes
“EVERY trouble is an opportunity to win the grace of strength.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“A world without any trouble in it would be, to people of our kind, a place of spiritual enervation and moral laziness.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- View every trouble as an opportunity to develop spiritual strength and grow closer to God.
- Make the most of your daily spiritual exercise by facing and overcoming challenges with faith and courage.
- Recognize that a life without trouble can lead to spiritual enervation and moral laziness.