2022-03-25
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Any study of Paul’s history in being the greatest apostle in God’s work of establishing the early church reveals the many hardships he endured [2 COR 11: 22-32; 2 COR 12: 7-10]. Of course, many believers go through hardships of one kind or another, even in modern times. And yet someone as troubled as Paul was had inner joy. A beautiful example of this comes in the conclusion to the story of his imprisonment with Silas depicted in AC 16: 22-40. The Lord allows these challenges and troubles to come to us to maximize our personal growth in spiritual maturity. We mustn’t lose sight of this reason for His perspective on our challenges, or we will struggle to trust Him and enjoy the inner peace and joy that the Lord wants us to feel.
A major principle in this matter was uttered by the apostle Paul. PHIL 3: 8-10, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whose sake I lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Thinking this way in the eternal sense is a total paradigm change and gets at the source of real inner joy. In many was this is a picture of the love our Kinsman-Redeemer (Jesus Christ) has for us, resulting from our covenant relationship with Him.
Many times, our ministries arise out of our misery. The Father decides which pathways our individual lives should take to gain eternal life with Him. He can do this by giving us a certain skill set and the opportunity to use it or by allowing a select misery to beset us without taking our life. An example of the latter would be being diagnosed with cancer, going through successful treatment, and then, making assisting others through such treatments, difficult as they may be, so that they too are given solace and joy. There will be times when a loved one will pass away, and his survivor will help others who lose their loved one to deal with the challenges they faced. A good example is a grief group meeting at a church or someone who dedicates the rest of his life to raising funds for cancer research. 2 COR 1: 3-6, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you a patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.”
Our Lord Jesus knew He would suffer greatly first. We learn from LK 22: 42 that it couldn’t be easy for Him. “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will but Yours be done.” Gaining eternal life from our endurance of faith in Christ is the restoration that a truly and genuinely faithful person receives. How can we deny that if we possess this kind of faith and have read the last two chapters of the book of Revelation (REV 21 and 22)? It came as a great surprise to me that God has told us so much about heaven, from the first time I studied those chapters. Because of what we learn in JN 14: 9, 11, it makes sense that Christ knew He would suffer greatly in going to the cross, but His faith in the Father was great enough to endure such suffering for the sake of His “bride”—the church. Christ trusted the Father to eventually bring Him back to His loving arms and honor Him above all in heaven. We who believe know that it is exactly what the Father did [AC 1: 1-2, 8-9]. Just as He kept His covenant promise to the Lord Jesus, the Latter has promised the faithful in Him that they too will gain eternal life. He deserves our thanks and praise forever!
PRAYER: O Lord, there are many times when we ask in anguish, “Why do our lives have to be so hard?” You help us to understand the answer to that question while we live on earth. We endure the loss of loved ones, watch others whom we care about suffer, must make often difficult decisions, and encounter many other troubles. Each time some trouble comes to our lives, You are here to guide us through it and have given us the power to overcome. During those struggles, we learn what it means to remain faithful to You. Sometimes, it’s not the trouble itself that is so difficult, but the waiting for You to intervene. That is one way You teach us patience. When we finally do overcome, we realize that You have kept us in Your sight from the beginning and know You deserve thanks and praise. Growing us in our spiritual maturity takes time, and we should understand that. We offer this continuing prayer for Your love, joy, and intervention in our lives. As we study Your word, we can’t help but realize how precious our covenant relationship is with You. So, thank You, Lord; we offer You our utmost praise, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit is prompting me to write more on God’s restoration in our lives. He wants us to understand that amidst the pain and sorrow of our troubles, He is there for us to teach us how to become mature believers in Him and to learn how and why we can reach out with help to others that need us. One important lesson is the example we set when we are in trouble, and example that can help others come to lasting faith. I remember doing a piece of calligraphy that read, “A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.” I’ve thought a lot about the ramifications of that statement—both positive and negative. We never know if God is introducing us to a potential believer and must be sensitive to the needs of that stranger in becoming a part of his life. I’ve met people who stood out as bullies in the schoolyard, whose behavior was due to a child’s reaction to a tragedy in his household. And yes, I’ve met strangers whose motives were evil. Learning insight into those we encounter takes time and practice. But if God intends that a stranger should come to Him, He will make that clear to a mature believer. The example we set by how we live matters. God directs us when we are genuine believers, but we must be aware there are also human-led people, who don’t share our Christian values. That is one way He protects us. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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