Billy Graham once said, without dark clouds in our life, we could never know the joy of sunshine.

As true as that is, it doesn't make those dark times easier to go through.

Today, I want to suggest that when we're depressed, when we're in those painful periods of our lives,

God actually can and wants to do something very significant in us.

Stay with me. I think this truth is really going to help you.

Thanks for listening to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.

We are an international teaching and discipleship ministry that encourages and equips Christians

to live like Christians.

Well, today we're continuing our series, I Choose Joy, based in Philippians chapter one.

In this program, Chip reminds us of two encouraging truths as we journey through the ups and

downs of life.

God is in control and he's using every experience and circumstance to mold us to be more

like Jesus.

If you're ready to learn more about that, grab your Bible and listen to the remainder of

Chip's insightful talk understanding the power of purpose. In God's economy, mark it down.

The shortest distance between two points is a zig-zag line.

And you can look at Joseph, you can look at Moses, you can look at the children of Israel,

you can look at your life, you can study church history, you can look at the lives of Israel. You can look at your life. You can study church history.

You can look at the lives of people that you really admire, that God has greatly used and have

great character. And I will tell you this. The game plan was a zigzag line. So what I want to

help you do is learn. We can actually choose joy when we know

that these current circumstances, God actually is using them. There is a purpose behind them.

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