The Christian life is the greatest life!
God takes a life that was empty and aimless and, worst of all, headed to a certain judgment, and he turns it around and transforms it.
But in addition, he removes the guilt that haunted us, fills the emptiness inside of us and literally takes residence in our heart.
This all comes as a result of the gospel believed and followed.
That is the good news.
But we also need to know there are some new problems that come along as a result of becoming a Christian.
You get rid of an old set of problems, and you inherit new ones.
A Christian is one who is-
– constantly in trouble,
– completely fearless, and
– continually cheerful!
We need to be aware of the fact that the Christian life is-
– not a playground;
– but a battleground.
In fact, the Bible tells us:
“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.
But why does God allow trials and hardships in the life of the Christian?
Let me give you a few reasons.
First-
Adversity tames us!
It levels us and keeps us humble.
Prosperity has a tendency to make people proud and self-sufficient.
We don’t think we need God when we have a wallet full of credit cards, a lot of money in the bank, investments and good health.
So we sort of ignore God.
But when an economy goes south or the stock market crashes or our home burns to the ground-
– we turn to God because we are reminded of what really matters.
As the psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” Psalm 119:67.
When the people of Israel were poised to enter the Promised Land after years of wandering in the wilderness-
God gave them this warning:
“When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 6:11–12.
We talk about the problem of pain-
– but let’s talk about the problem of prosperity.
Prosperity brings responsibility.
I am not an owner of anything; I am a steward.
I am held responsible for what I do with the resources that are at my disposal.
So we must take the responsibility of prosperity seriously and make sure that we remain dependent on God.
When life gets really hard and adversity strikes, we pray – and so we should.
But sometimes when life is going reasonably well, we sort of forget about prayer.
In his book “The Problem of Pain,” C. S. Lewis writes-
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
(To be continued tomorrow)