Where
is God in all of the crisis and all of the chaos?
He's right there with you.
He’s
usually nearer than He has ever been before but we cannot see it either because of the
suffering or our sin obscures Him. Suffering forces us to depend solely on God. If not, we
will be tempted to say, “My power and my strength built this and what I have
that is good…is my own doing!” This is just not true as it is the work of God,
the sovereign God of the Bible. This is why we struggle and are broken. Most
will never reach this point until death because they are never really humbled,
never really broken and contrite.
We
must be still under His rod and be truly humble. Straining against the sharp
spines and hooks only causes more pain.
Being
Christ-like sometimes requires that one cleans up after others that make a mess
or catastrophe of things. Sometimes being Christ-like requires that one allows
others to go their own way in error and make messes of things. They make a mess
of things because they thought they knew better acting in their sin end up
destroying everything they touch because of their sin. You will then come along
in support of them to clean up after them because they were too bold or foolish
to listen to calmer minds that knew the trouble they would get themselves into.
We see this a lot in the mature believers versus the immature believers. We see
this in the parent child relationship.
A
true mature Christian will allow these mistakes as a learning process and still
be willing to come along after to clean up. A really mature Christian will tolerate the brazen foolishness, do the clean-up and patiently endure more in silent suffering grace
hoping that God’s grace will eventually affect those in error and they will end up seeing
the errancy of their ways. This is the difference between a Christian that
matures and one the merely gets older but does not mature. We see this in
Christ’s actions with people like Peter and the other apostles. We see this in
the relationship Jesus had with Nicodemus. We should see this in our pastors and elders.
Many
people (including myself) need to realize that at times they we not have
answers to issues and acknowledge this fact instead of trying to bulldoze
through an issue on sheer willpower and stubbornness. It will greatly speed
resolution of current crises. I find that too many times too many people “know
too much” and are unwilling to humble themselves in grace. Altercations and
conflicts then result and things that could’ve been easily resolved or ended
sooner in terms or suffering become intensified and unnaturally prolonged. A war of attrition then ensue
with God and as my father used to tell me…your arms are too short to battle or
fight with God. He has much more time than you to wear you down.
Issues
that could’ve been about obedience and learning then become about winning
arguments or convincing someone (including the self) that they were right rather than learning
from the suffering and resolving problems with things like hidden sin that God
was trying to show us through our trials. As a believer we must
accept that, no matter how bad a situation appears…it is temporary and it has
been allowed in our lives by a sovereign God. It is better to not fight it and
try to get to the root of the problem through prayer and honest examination of
one’s life. God usually will not force things on us unless we are really
thick-headed…so learn where possible and look to Him when prolonged travail
appears inevitable. Being Christian has always been about suffering and endurance. It is not
about happy thoughts and paradise on earth. It is not about you best life now
or name it and claim it. For a Christian it's about the destination, not the journey. It's about Jesus, not us.
Jesus
opened the Sermon on the Mount and minced no words doing so. The beatitudes are
not recommendations for the Christian life…they are expectations. They are not
a how to guide…they are what you should already be. Furthermore, the words
below for persecution δεδιωγμένοι and διώξωσιν better translate to hunted,
chased or pressed from behind forcing one to flee. The implication is to not
stand and fight the persecution but rather to flee it. God in these situations is
our defender and justifier. Every beatitude essentially says a person should
humble themselves in meekness in one shape or another and it will benefit them
in a passive manner or the benefit of this behavior will be acted or enacted upon them by someone or something else (usually God Himself or God through other people). In other words, if one is meek, poor in spirit…their
reward is already assumed. It is not a matter of if...its a matter of when.
If
a righteous man is a blessed man than these statements assume you will be meek,
poor in spirit, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, merciful,
etc. At the end we see the statement that surmises them all…Blessed are those
that are persecuted for being Christian (righteous) because why? Because in the
end, the final reward is heaven which will make all suffering pale by
comparison. I pray this comforts any in suffering right now.
Matthew
5:3-12
~Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
~Blessed
are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
~Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
~Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
~Blessed
are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
~Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
~Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
~Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
~Blessed
are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in
heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
It is often the suffering that puts the jewel in the crown of righteousness. Sometimes to wear the crown of righteousness one will have to wear a crown of thorns first. If so our Master, then so too us. Sometimes the things that separate the two are nearly indistinguishable as they sometimes come packaged the same on the outside and it isn't until later that we see that the suffering was necessary to get to the reward. I speak from experience as many Christians can...it is incredibly hard to see the jewels somewhere else when you are in a suffocating constraint surrounded by thorns that obscure your vision.
We see the Apostle Paul through all his sufferings never lost sight of where he was going although at times he too was beaten down.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 ~ We do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in
the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability
to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had
received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on
ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from
such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our
hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your
prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious
favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Paul also advised others to keep their wits about
them in persecution and suffering also.
2 Timothy 4: 5-8 ~ “But you, keep your head in all
situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the
duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink
offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in
store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have
longed for his appearing.
We must persevere as Christ did until everything reaches its culmination in God's plan. In this way we best fulfill the will of God by glorifying Him in our perseverance through our suffering which shows we believe in what He has inevitably promised us. Eternal Life.
We must persevere as Christ did until everything reaches its culmination in God's plan. In this way we best fulfill the will of God by glorifying Him in our perseverance through our suffering which shows we believe in what He has inevitably promised us. Eternal Life.
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