How you can be pleasing to God even in the most difficult of times. part 2

So how do we get through the most trying of times in the most Christ-like way? As we touched on briefly last time the key really revolves around our perspective towards our lives and on the purpose of God for our lives. Is our goal for our life the same as God’s or would we rather see who dies with the most toys? If we are Christian our goal in life should be to be more and more like Jesus every day. With this perspective comes an understanding that we have not yet arrived and much work is needed. This kind of attitude is in tune with God’s purpose for us and will allow us to see the harshest of times in the most positive of light.

• Romans 8:28-29 (NASB95) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

God is at work in His children and is able to turn the worst of situations into something that works towards our ultimate good. In God’s eyes, turning us into the image of His Son is that ultimate good. With this in mind let us see what James says about the Christian and the trials that he faces.

• James 1:2-4 (NASB95) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The first thing that Christians need to do in order to take tough times in stride is to change the way they look at the trials they face. James tells us to “consider it all joy” when we encounter trials. James is not telling us that trials are joyous occasions because obviously they are not times full of joy. But what he is telling us is to look past them to the ultimate outcome and if we do that every trial can actually bring joy as we understand that our goal is being reached. If my outlook is such that to be like Jesus is more desirous than anything else, then whatever befalls me that contributes to fulfilling that desire will give me a joyful attitude toward even the toughest of trials. James tells us this when he writes that joy through trials comes by knowing certain things.

• James 1:2-4 (NASB95) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Paul said it like this.

• Romans 8:16-18 (NASB95) The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

James and Paul faced their trials “knowing” certain truths. What is it that they knew and want us to realize? We need to understand that God is at work in us and that everything we encounter will ultimately work out for our good. We need to know that trials are the way in which our faith is tested and stretched and the only outcome of a trial well done is conformity to the image of God’s Son!
Does this understanding actually make trials less painful? Well truthfully, yes and no. Trials will still be very difficult and disturbing but otherwise they wouldn’t be trials would they? On the other hand a difficult trying situation is much easier to take if we understand that the end of it all is meant to give us what we desire more than anything else. Truly then when I talk about my trials and tribulations I can think of them in a joyous manner knowing that they are the delivering system for that which I desire more than anything else in this world.
This is just the beginning of our journey, stay tuned.

How you can be pleasing to God even in the most difficult of times. part 1

Within the heart of every believer is the desire to hear the words, “well done my good and faithful servant.” As much as we desire to be pleasing to God, we often find the task to be tougher than we first thought. So this begs the question, if we desire to please God why is it so hard to live out? One of the reasons for our difficulty in living out the God pleasing life is that we are wrestling against three forces that are actively at work to stop us. Those three forces are the Devil, the World and our flesh (our natural propensity to desire sinful pleasures). We are cautioned by the writers of the Bible to be circumspect in regards to these malevolent forces.

 

• 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB95) Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

•  1 John 2:15 (NASB95) Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

•  Romans 8:6-8 (NASB95) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

These three forces are one reason that the life directed at pleasing God is difficult, but what is the other reason? The other reason has to do with the purpose of God. That may sound strange especially in a day when people generally think that God’s purpose in life is to make Christians healthy and wealthy. Today most think that God’s business is to make sure we are happy and that life brings as little adversity as possible. Such a view is not wise mainly because it is not Biblical and therefore not true. You see, when we are born of God, when we become Christians, we become new creatures. Our hearts begin to cry out, “Abba (daddy), Father” where before there was only unbelief. Even so our birth into the family of God is only the beginning. Just like a newborn babe we have quite a bit of growing up to do. As parents we have an idea of what kind of people we want our children to grow up to be. We want our children to be fine upstanding citizens, or something like that. God has much the same goal with His children. God however does not have some vague concept that He wants His children to live up to, but He has a definite pattern. The pattern is His Son Jesus Christ. God is actively parenting us, if you will, to mold us into the image of His Son.

•  Romans 8:28-29 (NASB95) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

 Just like most areas of life, the way to judge what one has learned is through testing. People can talk a bold talk, about how good they are, how loving, merciful, or honest they are but the proof is always in the pudding. Talk is cheap, how do you respond under trials and tribulations; how do you respond under pressure? When we fail to measure up to our ideals under pressure we learn what we are truly like and what needs to improve. Life is a process of trails brought to us for the purpose of testing our faith, of exposing areas that need improvement. The standard of behavior is high and almost always goes against what comes “naturally” to us.

 

• Matthew 5:43-45 (NASB95) “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

 As we face each trial our faith stretches so that as time goes by we are able to face most situations as Christ would have.

 

Let’s sum up what we have learned so far, why is life so hard for those of us who want nothing else other than to please God? First, there are three forces actively at work to get us to stumble and Secondly, God is at work in us to expose our shortcomings and to get us to grow up into the stature of His Son. As we grow and as our faith stretches we are more able to live like we should and we will hear more often, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” As difficult as living like Jesus is, it does not diminish our desire to be pleasing to God.

 

The next few blogs will endeavor to give us some tips on how to face tough times without losing our bearings. We will learn how to face the most difficult of situations in such a way that they actually serve to uplift us instead of tear us down. After the trial we will see them as stepping stone to our goal of being pleasing to God. For now just know you are not alone in your heart’s desire to be pleasing to God and you are definitely not alone when you realize the difficulty of such a task.

Whatever Happened to the Church part 3

By now, hopefully, you have begun to cultivate a deeper love for God. As your love grows, reading the Bible and praying should become more frequent and enjoyable, though it may seem like a stretch right now as you try to recover what you lost as your love grew cold. If you are like I was, you may be having a tough time figuring out exactly how to cultivate a deeper love for God. Let me give you a pointer.
Spend time reading about God in the Bible. Get to know Him. As you get to know Him better your love and admiration will naturally begin to grow.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷ casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-40

Can it really be this simple? Is it as simple as reading the Bible and our love will grow? Yes…if you are a Christian! You see, if you are a Christian you have living within you the Holy Spirit and you also have a heart that has been changed from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh that yearns after God. Your heart, if you are a Christian, already has a desire to know Him better, it is already crying out for Him. We sometime stifle that cry by neglecting what we should be doing, or doing sinful things that we know we shouldn't do, but the remedy is always the same.

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:12-15

It is a natural thing for a Christian's love to grow as it learns more about his God and Savior. The process of this change is called sanctification. When Jesus prayed for the believers He was about to leave behind at His death He prayed this.

"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.¹⁶ "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. ¹⁸ "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. ²⁰ "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;   John 17:15-20

So begin your journey to a fulfilled and joyful Christian life by taking this simple step. Read the Bible and pray that He opens your heart further. Read and let your faith and love grow. It may be a struggle at first, but take it from me it is worth the effort. Be all you can be and want to be in Christ, search the Scripture to know God. Listen to what Jesus said about the nature of eternal life.

"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 

The Apostle John also understood that the believer's heart cries out for God and also that he needs to grow his understanding of who God is.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20

Yours in Christ, Jeff