Adversity tends to elicit one of two very different responses: we either become bitter or better. And please note, as similar as those words sound – bitter or better – they’re mutually exclusive. Bitter, or better, one or the other. Never both. So … which will it be?

John Bunyan and George Fox were both imprisoned in 17th-century England for preaching without the permission of the Church of England. Bunyan, a Baptist, used prison as a place to draw near to God, writing The Pilgrim’s Progress, which went on to become a Christian classic. His suffering softened him for the better.

Fox, founder of the Quakers, also endured harsh treatment but grew bitter and combative, isolating himself even from his allies. Both faced injustice. One surrendered his pain to God, which bore lasting fruit. The other, though sincere, became resentful. His suffering hardened him.

The same persecution elicited two very different responses – one better, the other bitter. It revealed what ruled in each man’s heart.

It turns out that the same pot of boiling water will soften a potato and harden an egg. It’s not so much about your circumstances, but what you’re made of.

So, what are you made of? Who or what rules your soul? For King David of Israel, during one of his many times of distress, the answer was clear:

Psalm 62:1-2 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (ESV)

When God reigns in your heart His Spirit stills your soul, enabling you to wait with quiet confidence knowing that He is your rock, your salvation, your fortress. When God reigns in your heart, you will not be shaken!

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.