2nd Causes, 2of2

~ This is From Me! ~

In part one of this blog we ended with the question, can you say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15a) and “When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10b)?  Part one was the overview and now we need to look at real life issues which we face.  In all situations we need to remember that Jesus Christ fully experienced our humanity and was “in all points tested as we are” (Hebrews 4:15).

   

Are You In Financial Difficulty?  ~  God has allowed your present circumstances even though He has infinite supplies.  Our problem is that we confuse our wants with our needs.  God will supply what you need.  “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).  Even though He has all the resources He only gives us what is best for us from an eternal standpoint.

our example:  Jesus Christ never possessed much in the way of material goods or financial mans.  “And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’  Then He said to another, ‘Follow Me’” (Luke 9:58-59).  We must remember that ultimately it is Jesus Christ from whom receive or fail to receive and He has our best eternal interests as the goal.

Are You Misunderstood?  ~  Have your right actions spurred by right motivations been misunderstood?  God is the God of your circumstances.  God allows everything that happens and He is aware of everything that happens.  Are you blaming the mailman or are you looking to your Savior?  Nothing happens to you which He is not aware of!  Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).

our example:  Jesus Christ lived a perfect sinless life.  He came to bring a path to salvation to fallen mankind.  But He was misunderstood by many and ultimately died a horrific painful death on the Cross.

Have You Been Betrayed by a Friend?  ~  Did someone you trusted prove untrustworthy?  Jesus understands your heartache.  He is the only One who remains perfectly faithful (Revelation 19:11).  The old hymn “What a Friend we have in Jesus” contains so much truth.

our example:  Jesus Christ was denied by Peter, one of His own disciples, three times (Matthew 26:34, 75).  Later Judas, one of His inner circle, betrayed Him with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-48).  Even after these events Jesus loved both Peter and Judas.  Peter was restored went on to a great ministry for His Lord and Savior.

Have You Been Gossiped About or Slandered?  ~  Having untrue things said about you to someone you value can be one of the deepest hurts we can experience in this life.  God hates this behavior.  Interestingly enough “a false witness” is one the seven things we are told God hates—and three of the seven are directly related to false speech (Proverbs 6:16-19).  “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22).

our example:  Jesus Christ was slandered.  Pilate after hearing the accusers could not find fault but in bowing to the wishes of the people said, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person” (Matthew 27:24).

Have You Experienced Significant Loss?  ~  Loss is hard—especially the loss of the life of a loved one.  Even when death is anticipated sorrow follows.  There are other extreme kinds of sorrow as we live on this planet occupied by fallen mankind.  In such circumstances can you hear the words, “this thing is from Me.”  Do you still trust your sovereign God?

our example:  Jesus Christ was “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

Have You Plans Failed?  ~  You’ve mapped out the future.  You prayed about it.  You made commitments of time, talent, and treasure.  But things just didn’t work out as you anticipated.  God has allowed it and Jesus says to you, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Have Your Ministry For God Not Worked Out?  ~  Have you sincerely wanted to do something special in ministry for God?  But somehow the results were not as you expected.  God does not see success as we evaluate it, rather than looking at the tangible results he looks at our heart and our faithfulness.  “A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:20).

“Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!  For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person” (Psalm 31:23).  “God gave the increase.  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers” (1 Corinthians 3:6b-9a).

Perhaps God has put you in a position where you need to pray more while being less physically active for Him.  What a privilege is yours to be with Christ in the school of prayer.

Are There Unrealistic Expectations Placed Upon You?  ~  Have you been thrust into a difficult situation that you are not qualified for?  When called upon by God to do great things Moses started making excuses.  “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue’” (Exodus 4:10).  The accounts of any other Biblical characters are similar.  Here is a verse for you, “‘My [Jesus Christ] grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9b).

key thoughts:  Have you meditated upon the reality that your concerns are well-known to your God.  God knows your emotions, your concerns, your fears, and your anxieties.  Can you accept whatever comes your way as being allowed by your heavenly Father for your ultimate good?  Can you rejoice in the fact that, “We do not have a High Priest [Jesus Christ] who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrew 4:15-16).

Are you going through a difficult time?  If so, has it driven you to closer intimacy with your God and Savior?  If not, why not?  If you are not as close to God as you once were, guess who moved?

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

2nd Causes, 1of2

~ Don’t Blame the Mailman ~

When a person wrongs you can you honestly look beyond it and believe that Jesus Christ is saying to you “This thing is from Me!”  In other words, do you really believe that God is sovereign in all things, that He is in control, and that everything which happens to you works toward your ultimate good.  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). 

War Example  ~  Consider the famous “Dear John” letter.  John has gone off to serve his country and Mary vows to remain for him.  But before long John receives a letter in which Mary tells him he has found another beau.  John is so infuriated that he goes after the company mailman and starts to pulverize him.  But, does it make sense to blame the mailman?  He only delivers the mail from another—in this case Mary.  So too, if you are a believer, you should accept everything that happens as being allowed by your Savior for your ultimate good.  Putting it another way, “Refuse to look at second causes.”  Consider the root cause of everything that happens to you to be Jesus Christ molding you into conformity to His image. 

Joseph’s Example  ~  Another familiar Bible biography.  Joseph despised by his brothers—but God had a plan for his life—and it included saving those who had treated him so badly.  This is a beautiful type, or foreshadowing, of Jesus Christ.  “Then he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.  But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.  For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.  And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.  Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph: ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry’”’” (Genesis 45:4b-9)

Moses’ Example  ~  Probably one of the first Bible biographies many of us learned in Sunday School.  Put adrift in a basket in the Nile . But God had a plan (See Exodus 2 and following).

Job’s Example  ~  “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.  And seven sons and three daughters were born to him.  Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:1-3).  Then from the Biblical account we find that Job loses his property, family, and health!  But God is sovereign.

In the end we read, “Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.  He also had seven sons and three daughters.  And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch.  In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.  After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.  So Job died, old and full of days” (Job 42:12-17).

There are many key lessons from the book of Job but three stand out to me.  (1) God in His sovereignty may allow an individual to go through great difficulties not only for their benefit but also for the benefit of others—your trials may the source of the spiritual growth of others.  (2) Satan did not presume to ask God that he be allowed to afflict Job (see Job 1:11, 2:5).  Satan knew that God was in control and God would have to allow the trials to come to Job.  Satan was allowed to attack Job but only under God’s watchful eye.  (3) Satan is not in control, therefore no matter what comes out way we should always understand that God has allowed it.  Refuse to blame the postman or to blame second causes!

Paul’s Example  ~  “For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound.  Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11b-13). 

Jesus’ Example  ~  “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Your Example  ~  How about you?  What is your story?  Can you say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15a) and “When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10b)?  

Summary  ~  “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie; My grace all-sufficient shall by thy supply; The flames shall not hurt thee, I only design, Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine” (the fourth stanza of the hymn “How Firm a Foundation”).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).