Not quite sure how to begin this blog. All I know is my heart is heavy and full of questions. Deep questions that I'm not sure I will ever have an answer for here on this earth. Questions like "why does God let people experience terrible suffering?" and "why do certain people have to suffer and others don't?"
These questions are stemmed from a recent loss in my friend's life. A really really devastating loss. And this friend has been through enough losses over the past several years. I don't understand why all of this is happening to my friend. I am absolutely heartbroken for her.
So because of this, I have been doing a lot of thinking about suffering. It should come as no surprise that I went digging in the book of Job in the Bible because if anyone was an expert on suffering, Job was. He lost his family, his health, his wealth... he lost everything except his own life. And somehow in all of that loss, he never turned his back on God. I find that amazing. Because I can't say that I wouldn't blame God if I lost my entire family and everything I owned and got so sick I couldn't function.
Not only did Job experience these losses, but his friends also blamed him for the afflictions that hit him. They told him that he must have done something to deserve God disciplining him like this. Wow... sounds like some Christians I know. Talk about kicking you when you're down...
So did I find answers to my questions about suffering? No. I didn't. I still don't understand why God allows things like this to happen to my friend. Why he lets people suffer for years and years..
But I do know this. I know the character of the God that I serve. I know that He is good, regardless of whether life is good. He still has a plan even when we can't see what that plan is. He still loves us. And I know that He is the ultimate comforter. I know that He brings peace and strength in the middle of impossible times. And He rebuilds things that were torn to pieces. He mends things that were broken beyond repair. And most of all, He never ever ever leaves us alone in the middle of our suffering. We might feel alone sometimes because all we can see is our circumstances, but it doesn't mean we are really alone.
Jeremiah 33 talks about the restoration work that God is capable of. And He is capable of healing the hurts that life brings. I'm thankful that He doesn't leave us alone in our sufferings. We are never out of his sight.
Some promises to hang on to in the middle of the sufferings:
Psalm 139:3 "You know when I leave and when I get back. I'm never out of your sight."
Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
We might be suffering, but we are not alone.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Living Worthy of the Gift
This morning I was reading in Galations 2:16-21. It talks about how we don't receive God's approval by anything other than believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. It isn't about following the law or the rules, or living according to a set of standards set for us. It's about the grace He has given us freely through the sacrifice of His Son.
Alot of times, I think we stop there and say, whew- good thing He doesn't expect me to live by these rules, because I just can't do it.
Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for His grace, because I know I can't live by these rules every day too. However, we conveniently leave out what follows the grace part. In vs. 17, it says "If we, the same people who are searching for God's approval in Christ, are still sinners, does that mean that Christ encourages us to sin? That's unthinkable!" then in vs.19-20 "When I tried to obey the law's standards, those laws killed me. As a result, I live in a relationship with God. I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live by believing in God's Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins."
Because He lives in us from the time we believe in Him and accept His gift of salvation, we aren't doing anything on our own anymore. Of course, we can't obey the rules or live by the law on our own. We are nothing but sinners. But we have the secret: He lives in us now. So if we are still struggling with sins in our lives, it is because we are stifling the one that lives in us. We are silencing His voice. We aren't accepting the help that He is offering us to get us out of situations we shouldn't be in. We have been given a gift. A life-saving gift. And yet we still live like we are dying.
It would be like a heart-transplant patient. Before transplant, they can't do anything. They are usually bed-ridden and have difficulty doing any kind of care for themselves. But after they get a new heart and the transplant is successful, their life is changed. They can do things they never dreamed of doing. But what if they still lived like they used to? Staying in the bed all the time. Still having other people care for them. What would have been the point of the transplant?
We do the same thing. We have been given the gift of salvation. We have been given the secret to living a life that looks like Christ's. Yet we still live exactly the same.
Ephesians 4:1 tells us ".... I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."
What would our lives look like if we lived a life worthy of the gift that we have received?
Alot of times, I think we stop there and say, whew- good thing He doesn't expect me to live by these rules, because I just can't do it.
Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for His grace, because I know I can't live by these rules every day too. However, we conveniently leave out what follows the grace part. In vs. 17, it says "If we, the same people who are searching for God's approval in Christ, are still sinners, does that mean that Christ encourages us to sin? That's unthinkable!" then in vs.19-20 "When I tried to obey the law's standards, those laws killed me. As a result, I live in a relationship with God. I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live by believing in God's Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins."
Because He lives in us from the time we believe in Him and accept His gift of salvation, we aren't doing anything on our own anymore. Of course, we can't obey the rules or live by the law on our own. We are nothing but sinners. But we have the secret: He lives in us now. So if we are still struggling with sins in our lives, it is because we are stifling the one that lives in us. We are silencing His voice. We aren't accepting the help that He is offering us to get us out of situations we shouldn't be in. We have been given a gift. A life-saving gift. And yet we still live like we are dying.
It would be like a heart-transplant patient. Before transplant, they can't do anything. They are usually bed-ridden and have difficulty doing any kind of care for themselves. But after they get a new heart and the transplant is successful, their life is changed. They can do things they never dreamed of doing. But what if they still lived like they used to? Staying in the bed all the time. Still having other people care for them. What would have been the point of the transplant?
We do the same thing. We have been given the gift of salvation. We have been given the secret to living a life that looks like Christ's. Yet we still live exactly the same.
Ephesians 4:1 tells us ".... I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."
What would our lives look like if we lived a life worthy of the gift that we have received?
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