File: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db940628.txt
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OUR DAILY BREAD                         Tuesday, June  28, 1994
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READ:  Hebrews 11:30-40

                      GOD'S  DIVERSE  WAYS
                O Lord, I know the way of man is
                not in himself; it is not in man
                who walks to direct his own steps.

                        - Jeremiah 10:23

A woman testified, "I was  diagnosed  as  having  inoperable
cancer, but trusted God to heal me and He did."  Yet many
others in the same situation and with just as much faith
have fervently prayed, but they died.

I'm in my middle seventies, feel strong, and am as active as
ever.  But I know of Christian men my age who are coping
with severe physical problems.  Does God heal only those
with a strong faith?  Is good health a sign that God loves
one person more than another who isn't well?

Hebrews 11 answers these questions with a  resounding  "No!"
It tells of devout believers who were persecuted.  Some were
miraculously delivered, while others were imprisoned, tor-
tured, and slain.   But  all of them are cited equally for
their faith.  The issue then and now is not God's love  or
the strength of one's faith but God's sovereignty and wis-
dom.

My friend Archie walks with difficulty  and can't use his
arms very well, but he believes he knows God better than if
he had been healed.  He testifies of having grace for each
day,  and he anticipates the day when he will be given his
resurrection body.

Yes, God's ways are diverse.  Accepting this is the first
step to a stronger faith in Him.


Author:  Herbert Vander Lugt

        God has a purpose in our heartaches;
        The Savior always knows what's best;
        We learn so many precious lessons
        In each sorrow, trial, and  test.    - Jarvis


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
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God tries our faith
   so that we may try His faithfulness.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  2 Ki. 14:26-29; Am.1-3

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