Johnston's Golden Nuggets of Pain

I believe, friends, that God has each of us in the school of Christ, whether we realize it or not. A reading of Isaiah chapter 30 verses 18 to 23 will reveal that God uses a method, a methodology with his people in the instruction of them. In verse 18 where it states that the Lord is a God of judgment, the Hebrew meaning for judgment in this context is the word method, that God is the God of method.

For in verse 20 we read, And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not that teachers be removed into a corner any more. But then I shall see that teachers and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, And this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Then we get to the divine purpose in all of this schooling as the divine master teacher reveals in verse 22 that sin must be put away, darling idols must be smashed, pet sins must be cast aside as a filthy, smelly rag, ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornament of thy molten images of gold, thou shalt cast them away as a minstrel's cloth, thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence, when God in his providence makes you live on the bread and water of adversity and affliction.

He is doing more than chastising you, he is instructing you in his school. His end purpose is to make you more Christ-like and more knowledgeable of him. If the lessons learned are applied to the daily life then we are spiritually enriched by the experience.

Painful as it is to endure hardship, experience grief and suffering, and live under the pounding storms of constant tribulation, God has a divine method with each of us that is unique to each of us, as each of us are unique. I can honestly say, friends, that in the last six years I have been to hell and back. I want to take this time now to share with you some of the curriculum I have learned in the school of Christ.

I call these classes Johnston's Golden Nuggets of Pain, for it was through pain and suffering that I learned these truths of the Christian life. Here they are now. There are eight little nuggets, and I hope they enrich you as they have enriched me.

Nugget number one. God cannot be explained, but he can be experienced. Nugget number two.

If you want more of Jesus, then be prepared to have more of his cross. Nugget number three. It is not the amount of prayer, but the agony in prayer that gains his ear.

Nugget number four. True repentance is a painful process because through it our darling idols are ripped from us permanently. Nugget number five.

Be willing to be reduced to nothing, so he can be everything through you. Nugget number six. Revival is not only possible.

It is probable as long as we are expendable. Nugget number seven. God builds his servants through his divine process of reducing and decreasing.

Gold must be reduced to its purity in the furnace of affliction. A branch must be trimmed back and decreased before it can grow more fruit. If we desire further usefulness to God, then we must submit both to the refiner's fire and the divine pruning knife.

And lastly, we cannot change God, but he can change us into the person he desires us to be if we are willing to let loose of this world, lose our reputations, and be willing to sell all and lose all to gain the pearl of great price because Jesus is not only worthy, he is worth it. Let us pray.