We often get so caught up in our own
worlds that we tend to overlook the struggles of others, well I do anyway! It
is good to look at the lives of others when we find depression looking to make
inroads into our current predicament. Even now I find the thought of “enough is
enough” looking to steal my joy in the Lord. When is anything enough and who
determines when something has run its course, is it not the Lord? God is
sovereign and He determines the outcome of all things, of this I am convinced.
We may prolong the inevitable with our dull ears as they look to shut out the
lessons of life. Existence is a journey filled with lessons of obedience and
yet I find that disobedience looks to always rob me of valuable time wasted. I
do not think I am alone on this. However when things begin to become tiresome
and hope begins to dwindle into the back ground of our daily envelopments I
often find myself wrestling with the question, “why?” But before I get so
engrossed with self-pity let me be swift with the concern of others who have
had similar familiarities and in many cases had to endure far more than I ever
will. We must wrestle in bringing remembrance of our hope in Christ. The Apostle Peter reminds us of these truths; “Simeon
Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing
with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to
us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge
of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted
to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of
sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement
your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with
self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with
godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with
love. For if these
qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks
these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he
was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and
election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For
in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2Peter 1:1-10)
It is the cares of this life that tend to blur
our vision and get us to lose hope and in turn leave us vulnerable to the sin
that once enslaved us. When this happens we have lost sight of our hope, when
in fact these tests are there to brighten our hope in Him. We must learn to
analyse our predicament correctly. This then is the lesson, to view things
correctly. It is all about our confidence in God our Father in and through the
finished work of His son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must grow in strength, in
faith, trusting Him to provide all our needs and not only a selected few. Affliction
should teach us to depend upon Him, but in reality when we lose sight our flesh
drags us down and we find sin taking hold of our lives and this shouldn’t
happen.
It
is easy to see where we stand on this point! Are hardships causing us to cry
out with more vigour or are we slipping back into our old natures? This then is
a true test of our standing in Christ!
Here
is Spurgeon’s take; “Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our
faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid
of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond,
but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God
when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable;
but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are
gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our
Father’s countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble,
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” is heaven-born faith. The Lord
afflicts his servants to glorify himself, for he is greatly glorified in the
graces of his people, which are his own handiwork. When “tribulation worketh
patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,” the Lord is honoured
by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the
strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not
trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were
not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not
utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by
the trials through which his vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present
afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the
picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed
in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will
not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not
the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There
are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our
brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.” (Charles
Spurgeon)
Signing
off
Tyrone
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