Monday, February 26, 2018

How You Deal With Hardship Reveals Your True Devotion



The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw [water] with, and the well is deep." —John 4:11

{CHAMBERS} “Have you ever said to yourself, “I am impressed with the wonderful truths of God’s Word, but He can’t really expect me to live up to that and work all those details into my life!” […] We think His ideals are lofty and they impress us, but we believe He is not in touch with reality— that what He says cannot actually be done. […] While we talk of our dealings with Him, others ask us, “Where are you going to get enough money to live? How will you live and who will take care of you?” Or our misgivings begin within ourselves when we tell Jesus that our circumstances are just a little too difficult for Him. We say, “It’s easy to say, ‘Trust in the Lord,’ but a person has to live; and besides, Jesus has nothing with which to draw water— no means to be able to give us these things.” […] My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority.”

{ELGIN}  You may recall, from grade school history classes, there was a man, Thomas Paine, who wrote the pamphlet “Common Sense” during the Revolutionary War.  In the pamphlet he wrote about “summer soldiers … sunshine patriots”. Men who would serve their country when the war is easy and the odds look good. He believed that a soldier should focus on the goal no matter how hard it is to reach. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot is a man who would fight for his country as long as what they are trying to achieve is easy, and can be done without loss.

Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Timothy 2:3-10) “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”

Those revolutionary soldiers faced great hardships .. not only battles, but living conditions.  As Christians, we have and will continue to face many trials – hardships – emotional – physical – financial in this life.  As you well know, we are not impervious to the calamities of life.  But, we can prevail by faith.  Our faith is tested in difficult times.  The temptation is to lose confidence in God’s sovereignty and His willingness to care for us.  The reason, I think, is because the thing that we are in fear of losing, or have already lost, we love more than we love God.  We say we love Jesus, that we love God the Father (Matthew 22:37) but not as much as we say we do.  When the test comes … it reveals our devotion.  (2 Corinthians 4:8-10) “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

Do want to overcome your hardships? Then let this be your attitude, knowing that this attitude will be a result of your devotion and dependence upon God and not merely a decision to try harder next time. (Philippians 3:7-8) “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ”

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