How is God dealing with you?

Men cannot be heroes in doubt or despair. They cannot struggle after perfection and a divine kingdom, sceptical the while whether these things be more than devout imaginations, unrealizable ideals. In such a mood they will take things easy, and make secular happiness their chief concern.

Alexander Balmain Bruce, The Training of the Twelve; Or, Passages out of the Gospels, Exhibiting the Twelve Disciples of Jesus under Discipline for the Apostleship (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1889), 188–189.

We quickly run into spiritual trouble if we look around at God’s dealings with others. Our Lord taught Peter a salutary lesson on this point. He was concerned lest John should receive preferential treatment. Jesus replied sternly, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” James went from prison to the executioner’s block. Peter went from prison to a prayer meeting. Peter won 3,000 souls. Stephen received 3,000 stones. We have to accept the fact that “the ways of the Lord are not equal.” He does not deal with us on the mass-production principle. He delivers some from trial. He delivers some in trial.

J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, Spiritual Discipleship, Spiritual Maturity Set of 3 Sanders Books (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2017).