Truth's Two Edges

It’s like an old Roman style sword; it cuts both ways.
Yes, those who adhere to God’s Laws can expect things to go differently. Those Laws are fundamental, the moral fabric of the universe itself. Since we moved here a few years ago, for example, storms and other natural disasters quit ripping this area. Two nights ago, I watched on radar as a fast-moving storm cell swept up from the south and collided with a very large batch of storms creeping our way from the northwest. The small cell steered the massive collection of storms away from us. People all around us faced hailstones ranging up to 5 inches (13cm) in diameter, fierce winds and heavy flooding rains. We barely got rain. We aren’t better than the people in those other places; we simply obeyed God’s Laws and reap the blessings. If more people obeyed His Laws, things would be different. That’s the way things work in this universe.
But that’s only half the issue. We were quite willing to face the total loss of all things we own. The Truth is more valuable to us than all the material goods of this earth. Indeed, we have already placed our lives in forfeit for His glory. We remain confident whatever we face is for His glory, and we glorify Him by how we face it. This is the other edge of the same sword. It’s not so much we have no trouble, but we view all such trouble differently. Nothing we do can keep God from working His own glory, but by our willing participation, that glory brings blessings. That is, what such participation brings is by definition a blessing. The only question is: How does God intend to glorify His Name through us? We give Him the credit, by our grateful thanksgiving, for sparing us from the destruction and sorrow.
He is the One who decides what “glory” means. That glory sword of Truth has two edges.