Tag: suffering

God Is Good

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Exploring Church Ministry BlogLeave a comment
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created (James 1:16-18, NIV).
 
 
 
            God is good – all the time.  And all the time – God is good.  That statement is a bedrock foundation for the Christian faith.  Without a basic affirmation and belief of God’s goodness, our faith will experience cracks and not stand the test of hard circumstances and difficult situations in life.  Without the steadfast conviction that God is good, the alternative is that God is somehow fickle or even mean – that he does not really care about the problems we experience in life.
 
            Last week I had an experience I have not had in twenty years; I bounced a check.  First of all, it’s embarrassing because I didn’t have the resources I thought I did. It’s frustrating because you tack on the charge for your negligence. So, here I walk into the bank where everyone knows the pastor.  And I get to walk up and tell them that the pastor needs to clear up his insufficient funds.  A trial is like a bounced check. You feel stuck with a problem that you don’t have the resources to solve. The temptation is to rant to God: “Do you see me over here, God? Do you see what I’m going through? Are you paying attention? I’m about to bounce a lot of spiritual checks here. I don’t have the resources. I don’t have it emotionally. You’re rattling my faith, God. Don’t leave me in this mess.”
 
Those expressions of desperation you feel so awful about are in fact the exact truth that God has been trying to bring to your attention. You flat out don’t have the resources. He wants you to come to the place where you humbly get before him in a deeper way and tell him what he’s known to be true all along: you are in over your head and you need him.  Your poverty of spirit enables you to receive from God.
 
            When life is good, it is not a stretch to say God is good.  But it might be easy to slide into a belief system that thinks God is the problem when situations take a turn for the worse – that somehow God is the source of our trouble.  And if we have not been working on a relationship with God, we will have scant resources to draw from in a time of trouble.
 
            God is good.  God is not mean.  Every single good gift that there is in this world comes from God.  Nothing evil can come from God.  There would be no good in this world if God was not around.  God’s grace is constantly around us.  If his grace were not here, it would be like living in a dystopian novel.  It would be like a zombie apocalypse where everyone is constantly looking over their shoulders for the next evil thing to happen.  But, although there is evil in this world, it could be a whole lot worse if it were not for God’s goodness.
 
            People will typically question God’s goodness when they do not understand what is happening with something they do not like.  They want answers.  They want justice.  They want stability.  And when it does not come right away, they might question if God really cares.  But you do not need to understand everything about a situation to know that God is good.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  Nothing can separate us from God’s love – not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword – not any adverse circumstance that occurs in your life.
 

 

            God has good plans for his people, the church, because he is a good God – all the time – without changing like shifting shadows.  As long as we believe we have the resources and abilities within ourselves to do church ministry, it will likely either not happen or not occur with the blessing of God.  Only through the humility of dependence in a good God who gives good gifts is there true hope and faith.  World Communion Sunday reminds us that our good God is at work in people from all nations and ethnicities all across the earth, providing spiritual nourishment to us at his hospitably good Table.  Thank you, Jesus.

1 Peter 3:8-12

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Hard circumstances tend to bring out the worst in many people.  When difficulty arises in a group it is just human nature that they either try and run like a bunch of rats from a sinking ship, or they turn on each other and chew on one another, again, like a bunch of rats.  It’s what psychologists call the ‘fight or flight syndrome.’  But there is another alternative.  The Apostle Peter said that, when in the throw of suffering, Christians should be like-minded, sympathetic, love each other, embrace compassionate behavior, and humility.  They should not turn to evil in dealing with their frustrations, but ought to do the very opposite:  bless each other.
 
            If we want to be happy no matter what the circumstance, then we will listen to Peter and the psalmist who say:  “Do you want to be happy?  Then stop saying cruel things and quit telling lies.  Give up your evil ways and do right, and find and follow the road that leads to peace.  The Lord watches over everyone who obeys him, and he listens to their prayers.  But he opposes everyone who does evil.”
 
            Well, there you have it.  Now it is a choice of whether we will obey the Scripture, or give in to our sinful nature by devouring others whom we have issues.  Which will you choose?
 

 

            Gracious God, you have chosen me to be your child and inherit all your very great and precious promises.  Help me to live into my position as your son, and be consistent in responding to suffering by blessing others, through the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Revelation 2:8-11

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            What is unique about chapters two and three of Revelation is that Jesus himself is the speaker to seven different churches.  Today’s lesson is addressed to the church at Smyrna, a large and beautiful port city in the ancient world.  Jesus was letting the believers in Smyrna know that they were about to experience some severe persecution.  They need not be fearful, but faithful because their Lord knows all about suffering.  The church’s perseverance under such trouble would result in the crown of life, given to them by Jesus himself.  This was surely an encouragement to the believers as they underwent difficulty.
 
            The congregation at Smyrna was facing imprisonment and, for some, even death for their faith.  The heart of the message by Jesus is to remain faithful.  There will always be cowards among the church who will fold when the going gets tough.  But persecution and hardship have a way of purging the soul and the church of its dross.  Suffering is inevitable; how we handle it is completely under our own control.
 
            Few of us will ever likely face a hardship that could result in martyrdom.  So, how much more we really ought to be able to deal with the daily irritations and trials that God puts in our way in order to refine us and shape our faith.  Jesus is not looking for perfect people, just faithful followers willing to endure suffering with the truth that our Lord stands with us. 
 

 

            King Jesus, you have something to say to all of us in the church who follow you.  Enable me with spiritual courage and resolve so that I might endure every hardship with Christian forbearance, mercy, and understanding that eternal life awaits me.  Amen.

Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Even in the darkest of moments in time there is still the remote possibility of hope.  On this Holy Saturday while we remember the darkness in between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, one of the important angles to keep in mind is how the original disciples must have felt on this day.  We, of course, know the end of the story.  We know that Christ is about to be risen from death and that the tomb will be empty.  But Peter, James, John, and the rest of Christ’s followers had no idea this was going to occur. 
 
            Let’s take the thought even a bit further:  what was Jesus experiencing during this time in the grave?  I know it is a crazy thought, but Jesus completely and fully entrusted himself to the Father.  Did he ever have a doubt or wonder if things would shake out as we now know they would?  Sometimes we might lose sight of the reality that Jesus is quite fully a human with all of the limitations that go with it.  Christ knows full well how difficult it can be to live life on this earth surrounded by sin, evil, and trouble.  He knows what it feels like to be afflicted, to be forsaken, to be profoundly touched by the sin of others.
 
            But suffering does not have the last word.  “My soul continually remembers it [affliction] and is bowed down within me.  But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” These are not just words from the prophet Jeremiah; they are the thoughts of Christ himself.  Jesus placed his faith and hope in the Father.  The disciples placed their faith and hope in Jesus.  We, as well, must discover that darkness and death never have the last word.  The last word is always and forever GRACE.  It is the mercy of God that trumps death and every evil practice and each sinful agenda.  Wait for it… wait for it….
 

 

            Almighty God, grant that in your mercy I might obtain the result of your passion:  forgiveness of sins and new life in Jesus Christ, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Amen.