Marching Orders #128... "Tell That to a Butterfly!"

LET THE

SONSHINE

..."Your eyes light up your inward being.

A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul."

Luke 11:34a

© PrayerVine Int'l

P.O. Box 675

Whitehouse, TX 75791

.Tell That to a Butterfly! (Facing Life's Struggles)

Tired of the struggles?

We can learn a valuable lesson from the butterfly...the little ugly lepidoptera that turns into the gorgeous, lofty creature that graces our flower beds. To look at a butterfly, you would think that it was too fragile to ever have a struggle. Not so!

One time a friend of mine curiously saw a coccoon begin to move. Upon closer inspection she could see that a butterfly was trying to emerge...so she pulled on the coccoon to help release the little guy. Inside was a wet and sticky under-developed insect: it's wings were not developed and it helplessly died. You see...that frail insect develops the strength in its wings to fly, through the struggle of opening the coccoon, and "helping it out" actually brought about it's death!

My mailbox is stuffed with letters saying, "Everywhere I turn it is one problem after another. I no more than overcome one struggle, than a new one appears. I don't think I can go on! I feel like I want to die. Will it ever end?" I actually wrote one lady and told her to..."Tell that to a butterfly!" And then I explained how these struggles are what makes us strong in the Lord.

Paul, the greatest apostle ever to walk the planet, in Second Corinthians, chapter 11:23-28, tells us a little of what it is like to struggle!

"I have worked harder, been put in jail oftener, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me their terrible thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I was in the open sea all night and the whole next day. I have traveled many weary miles and have been often in great danger from flooded rivers, and from robbers, and from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the hands of the Gentiles. I have faced grave dangers from mobs in the cities and from death in the deserts

and in the stormy seas and from men who claim to be brothers in Christ but are not. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone WITHOUT FOOD; often I have shivered with cold, WITHOUT

ENOUGH CLOTHING to keep me warm....Then, besides all this, I have the constant worry of how the churches are getting along."

In the face of all of this, I've actually had people tell me that we are NOT to have any struggles...Well, all I can say is...

Tell that to a butterfly...and to Saint Paul, and to Jesus who learned obedience by the things He suffered...(Heb. 5:8)

If you are struggling, rejoice, because you are being strengthened by the Lord...

"We can rejoice, TOO, when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are GOOD FOR US---they help us learn to be patient...And patience develops STRENGTH of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love." (Romans 5:3-5 L/B...emphasis mine)

My thoughts are this...when the struggles STOP...that's the time to lament and get concerned, because that's the time that you have stopped being effective for the Lord. I'm convinced that as long as we live in these bodies, there will be struggles...

right up to the end, just like they were for every saint in the Bible, for Jesus, and for Paul, who was beheaded by Nero!

In Him, and He in me,

Marlene

MARCHING ORDERS #128

Marching orders are compiled from paraphrased verses out of the Living Bible.

No commentary is added...they are the pure Word of God.

"As Christ's soldier do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who enlisted you in his army." II Timothy 2:4 L/B

May your strength match the length of your days.

When you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry about what to say in your defense. Just say what God tells you to. Then you will not be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will. - Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

The God of Israel gives strength and mighty power to his people. Blessed be God! - He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak.

He said, “. . . I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite happy about “the thorn,” and about insults and hardships, persecutions and difficulties; for when I am weak, then I am strong: the less I have, the more I depend on him. - I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. - March on, my soul, with strength!

Fight on for God. - Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me! - No one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings, and then renounces them all for me.

(Living Bible:)

Deuteronomy 33:25.

Mark 13:11. - Matt. 6:34.

Ps. 68:35. - Is. 40:29.

II Cor. 12:9-10. - Phil. 4:13. - Judges 5:21.

I Tim. 6:12, - Lk. 9:23. - Lk. 14:33

If you'd like to subscribe to our mailing list e-mail me, Marlene, at PrayerVine@aol.com.

back to the Catalog

.Back to the main page

Although copyrighted to prevent altering or reproducing for profit, you do have permission to forward all letters you receive from PrayerVine, without altering, to your friends, and make copies for your personal use.