Christ never told his disciples that they would get an Academy Award for their performances, but He did tell them to expect to have troubles.

Trials and difficulties may assail the life of a believer, but they also have the ability to remold his character and banish from his life those impurities which might impair growth and service.

Christ warned His followers that to believe in Him would not make them popular, and that they should be prepared to face affliction for His sake.

God is at work in the midst of crisis. In the midst of the problems, pessimism, and frustrations of our day, God is doing His own work. Let us realize that there are certain things we cannot do. Let us be faithful in the things He has called us to do.

Following Christ has been made too easy. It is easy to follow Him when our world is safe and comfortable . . .but when that world shatters, only a secure faith will sustain us.

In a country where Christians were looked upon with suspicion and disfavor, a government leader said to me with a twinkle in his eye, "Christians seem to thrive under persecution. Perhaps we should prosper them, and then they would disappear.

The happiness which brings enduring worth to life is not the superficial happiness that is dependent on circumstances. It is the happiness and contentment that fills the soul even in the midst of the most distressing of circumstances and the most adverse environment.

We can take persecution because we know the purpose behind it. The purpose is to glorify God.

The way in which we react to hurts and disappointments influences the shaping of our personalities.

Some of the most radiant Christians I have ever met were "wheelchair" saints. May God give you grace to "triumph in affliction".

Hardship is not our choice; but if we face it bravely, it can toughen the fiber of our souls.

Christianity is not an insurance policy against life's ills and troubles.