It is amazing how our mindset changes our perspective in
life... even in our Christian life. There are some people view the Christian
life as a life of ease or a bed of roses, while others see it as an ongoing battle filled with drudgery that we must
endure until death or the rapture. The first group says, 'If I have enough
faith, I'll never be sick, never be broke or have problems in this life.' The
second group says, 'I'm called of God to struggle and must persevere, so I will
have more troubles than Job.' If you've
been around me much at all, you know that one of my favorite words is
"balance." I believe that
there is a balance in this life, especially in our Christian walk. I don't mean
compromise... I mean balance.
The way I see is that the Bible tells us that the rain falls
on the just and the unjust. Troubles come... as do the good times, for the
Christian as well as the non-Christian. I'm absolutely convinced that God wants
to bless his people... but I'm also convinced that most of us have a misunderstanding
of what being blessed is. I stood in the
door way of the Garrett family Christmas party a couple of days ago and I saw a
room filled with people ranging from 2 years old to those in their 70's, and I
thought to myself, "this family has been blessed." Blessings are not
all about material wealth. The love in that room was worth far more than money
can buy.
Back on topic... I've come to learn that a person's level of faith
is often revealed in the times if difficulty and pain. I've walked it out and I can tell you that when
your back is to the wall financially... it takes faith to believe that God is "Jehovah
Jireh", the Lord who provides. It's
in times that you or a loved one is facing illness that you exercise your faith to believe He
really is Jehovah Rapha, the God who promises to heal. In John 15:5 Jesus said,
'He who abides in Me...bears much fruit.' There is a subtle but absolutely key reference
made here that will determie your faith. Notice that is says that the blessing
(fruit) comes from 'abiding' and staying close to the Lord. Those who get
excited about fruit before they've learned to sow seed leads to people who find
themselves serving God for what He does, rather than who He to you. There is no
relationship. Abide means "to stay
in, or dwell in." You may come and visit my family in our house, even be
our guest for a few days, but that is not the same as living here. When you
abide, there are privileges and responsibilities that come along with living
there. My family all abide in the house on Broad street. We all have keys to
the house. Keys represent privilege that is granted only to our family. But
along with those keys come responsibility. The problem is, many folks refuse the
responsibility that comes with being a child of God, so they don't abide with
God... they visit. They come and go, but never take up residence with God. They
want to be there for the benefits, but they don't walk with God in the times of
trial. Rather, they blame God when those times come. I've learned that those times of difficulty
and trial are often times of pruning in my life. And I've learned that while
pruning often hurts, it is for my benefit, and that I will come out stronger
and with more and better fruit when it is finished. It's all a part of the
"abiding" thing.
Yes, the Christian life is at times a battlefield. When you
are in the battle, it does not mean God has forsaken you or that he is trying
to hurt you. I've come to realize that the level of attack is determined by the
size of your God-given assignment and the rewards that await you on the other
side of that battle. It's all about finding that balance and knowing that I'm
not going to be in this battle or this trial forever... it's just part of the
process. God is faithful... the question is, "Are we?"
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