Issue 710 – Hard Times – April 10, 2022
Today’s picture was taken in New York during the Great Depression. Since then, the world has been through many ups and downs, and times are still hard for many people.
We have gone through numerous boom and bust cycles. Poverty and struggles are nothing new; even Jesus said the poor would always be with us. It is a fact of life in a fallen world.
A few minutes of watching the news will convince even a hardened skeptic that times are tough worldwide, made even more so by wars and a pandemic.
Can we talk? There is a misconception that the Christian life is supposed to be free of pain, suffering and sorrow. There is an unspoken undercurrent within some of the Christian community that if we do not wear a “happy face” and say all the “churchy” things, we may not be real Christians.
Let us be perfectly honest. The same struggles and pains that inflict the world at large can and do afflict Christians. We can have doubts. We can stumble and fall. We can be angry with God. We can go through times of trial and tribulation.
Although we serve a Living God, we are fallen people living in a fallen world. We can get hurt out there. We can hurt one another even within the church. We can get sick. We can lose our jobs as companies move “offshore” for cheaper labour. We can be the victims of random violence.
Becoming a Christian is not a shield that keeps all the world’s darkness at bay. If we look around and see that only perfect, happy little Christians surround us all the time, we are living a lie.
Please do not misunderstand me. There is incredible joy in knowing Christ. There is freedom beyond measure. There is hope that spans beyond time. There is a peace that transcends all understanding. Those things do not mean we are exempt from the hard stuff of life.
You need not be surprised when hard things happen. Jesus told us we would have troubles. Christians experience the same hard times non-believers do and may face persecution and God’s discipline as well.
Amid our troubles, we have an advantage over the world of non-believers. We have the hope of Christ to sustain us.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9
The ability to rejoice in the midst of it all is a gift. Rejoicing is not the same as being happy. Happy depends on circumstances. Rejoicing is a deep feeling that can come through even amid the pain.
Until next time, even during the deepest trial, remember that you can rejoice in the Lord. Believers will persevere and be victorious through Christ.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Spelling modified to Canadian English as required.
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