THE SQUEEZER
Do all things really work together for good? I have become convinced that God can squeeze some good out of everything. In fact, there are even times when you can actually feel the squeezing taking place through various circumstances in your life. Remember what Job went through.
What comes to mind when you think of squeezing? Most probably an orange. The orange juice squeezer that we have at our house is a rather fearful-looking appliance and it has only one purpose—to squeeze the sweet juice out of the orange.
Poor orange! It has to go through a lot to have its juice extracted. First with a sharp knife it is sliced down through the middle. You can almost sense the pain as the knife is thrust in, dividing the orange in half. Then the orange is placed into the squeezing chamber, completely encased by metal walls that hold it firmly in their grasp as the pressure is applied.
The orange probably feels like it is being destroyed as more and more pressure is brought to bear. Finally when the orange has reached the point where it has been completely drained, the squeezing stops. And then guess what happens? The rind is tossed away with the garbage and all that remains is the juice that has been squeezed from it. It's not easy to be an orange that is destined to bring forth juice.
Have you been feeling a lot of pressure lately? Have you been through some crushing experiences as you are placed in the squeezer of the spirit? Is the Lord working in your life to divide soul from spirit and to remove the works of the flesh? Does God want to release from within you a flow of love, peace, grace, thankfulness, patience, faith and joy?
Like the orange, we need to yield to the pressures of life and allow the crushing to have its effect upon us. The goodness within can be loosed to bless those around you in your home and on the job. Often in these troubled days we are brought face to face with unbelievable pressures. It can seem that we spend the majority of our time in the squeezer. There are so many instruments God uses to do the crushing—family, co-workers, friends and neighbors all seem capable of putting their hand to the squeezer.
There is also the unrelenting pressure of meeting the needs of our family. Our children will occasionally cause us to face some crushing blows. Then there is the constant pressure of competition in the work place, along with the threat of ever-increasing unemployment. Pressure on the working mother is brought from all sides. Even our church commitment can bring almost overwhelming pressure at times.
But I am confident that we are only put into the squeezer with God's permission. He knows what is hidden away inside of each of us that can only be squeezed out and dealt with through pressure. The pressures of life can cause us to give forth something that the rind of fear was holding captive. As we allow our fears to be stripped from us, God will squeeze something good from the problem. What a great God we serve.
So when you feel like the pressures of life are crushing you, rejoice and be glad! You can know that the Master has you in His hand and is getting ready to bring forth something good and sweet that is trapped within you. Embrace the squeezer! It's an instrument prepared by God for your good. And remember that the orange juice never benefits the orange. What comes forth from the orange as a result of the squeezing is to bless and nourish others. Maybe the orange juice squeezer isn't so bad after all.
What comes to mind when you think of squeezing? Most probably an orange. The orange juice squeezer that we have at our house is a rather fearful-looking appliance and it has only one purpose—to squeeze the sweet juice out of the orange.
Poor orange! It has to go through a lot to have its juice extracted. First with a sharp knife it is sliced down through the middle. You can almost sense the pain as the knife is thrust in, dividing the orange in half. Then the orange is placed into the squeezing chamber, completely encased by metal walls that hold it firmly in their grasp as the pressure is applied.
The orange probably feels like it is being destroyed as more and more pressure is brought to bear. Finally when the orange has reached the point where it has been completely drained, the squeezing stops. And then guess what happens? The rind is tossed away with the garbage and all that remains is the juice that has been squeezed from it. It's not easy to be an orange that is destined to bring forth juice.
Have you been feeling a lot of pressure lately? Have you been through some crushing experiences as you are placed in the squeezer of the spirit? Is the Lord working in your life to divide soul from spirit and to remove the works of the flesh? Does God want to release from within you a flow of love, peace, grace, thankfulness, patience, faith and joy?
Like the orange, we need to yield to the pressures of life and allow the crushing to have its effect upon us. The goodness within can be loosed to bless those around you in your home and on the job. Often in these troubled days we are brought face to face with unbelievable pressures. It can seem that we spend the majority of our time in the squeezer. There are so many instruments God uses to do the crushing—family, co-workers, friends and neighbors all seem capable of putting their hand to the squeezer.
There is also the unrelenting pressure of meeting the needs of our family. Our children will occasionally cause us to face some crushing blows. Then there is the constant pressure of competition in the work place, along with the threat of ever-increasing unemployment. Pressure on the working mother is brought from all sides. Even our church commitment can bring almost overwhelming pressure at times.
But I am confident that we are only put into the squeezer with God's permission. He knows what is hidden away inside of each of us that can only be squeezed out and dealt with through pressure. The pressures of life can cause us to give forth something that the rind of fear was holding captive. As we allow our fears to be stripped from us, God will squeeze something good from the problem. What a great God we serve.
So when you feel like the pressures of life are crushing you, rejoice and be glad! You can know that the Master has you in His hand and is getting ready to bring forth something good and sweet that is trapped within you. Embrace the squeezer! It's an instrument prepared by God for your good. And remember that the orange juice never benefits the orange. What comes forth from the orange as a result of the squeezing is to bless and nourish others. Maybe the orange juice squeezer isn't so bad after all.
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