Rejoice In Tribulation

IT MAY BE THAT JEHOVAH WILL LOOK ON MY AFFLICTION, AND THAT JEHOVAH WILL REPAY ME WITH GOOD. 2 Samuel 16.12.

One morning on my way to work, I was thinking about this verse from the Bible - the pleading of King David to his God during his affliction. I happened to pass by the home of a dear friend who just had an operation. He was still in the hospital and so I had a chat with his wife, a dear old Christian sister who is known for her trust in God and life of prayer.

She was going through much affliction of her own and that of her family. She didn’t know why she was having more and more trouble every time she walked closer to God and was a witness for Him. She said that it is as if the devil was hurting her more because of this! David might have felt the same, I thought to myself. He expressed his agony and hope in God by saying, “It may be that Jehovah will look on my affliction, and that Jehovah will repay me with good”.

But dear fellow-believer, to us this is not just a hope and prayer as it was for David but a sure promise. The Word of God assures us of the blessings and benefits of the afflictions we suffer here in this life. You need to know this so that you do not despair in your afflictions, like the dear sister. For the sake of sanity and spirituality too, we need to develop a positive outlook from the Scriptures towards our afflictions. Only the promises of God and His grace can give us strength to face our trials which are many!

The Bible assures us that ‘our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all’. Therefore, we must ‘fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal’ (2 Cor 5.17,18). If not for that blessed promise, ‘the eternal glory we receive will far outweigh our afflictions’, there would have been no meaning to our sufferings. God would not have allowed His children to suffer!

The Bible also teaches us that ‘our afflictions are the testing of our faith’. Though painful, it develops perseverance and makes you mature and complete, not lacking anything’ (Jas 1. 2-3). The apostle Peter says, through afflictions, ‘our faith, though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed’ (1 Pe 1.7).

So, instead of pining and groaning, which are common, we are encouraged by the apostle James to ‘consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds’ (Ja 1.4). In a similar manner the apostle Peter also tells us, ‘greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials’ (1 Pe 1.6).

Dear believer, in times of distress and depression there is great relief in deliberately expressing joy loudly in word, song or music! I have made it my daily habit! I have often proved it effective to burst out in songs of praise like, ‘Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee, How great Thou art!’ It might have startled my family or patients on the operating table! But they are better off with a happy husband or doctor!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, sometimes I am greatly weighed down by trials and afflictions. May Your Spirit sustain me and cause me to rejoice in tribulation through Your promises. Amen.

On Things Above

KEEP YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE NOT ON WORLDLY THINGS. Col 3.2.

Everyone has worked hard for a living right from the days of Adam and Eve. But today, even they would turn in their graves if they ever could perceive how hectic our lives are! Just to eke out a living, some are slogging most of the day and well into the night. With both parents having to work, children hardly get time to spend with them. A bank executive told me while having our Sunday lunch, "The expectation by the bosses for the employees to perform is so great that they many are cracking up!" Even the Christians are not exempt! How difficult, if not impossible it is for us to keep thinking about things in heaven because our minds are too preoccupied with the things of this world! But that is the Lord's command to us!

Much like the apostle Paul’s admonition today, Jesus too cautioned His disciples about worldliness instead of a heavenly outlook! He said, “Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. "So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt 6.32-34).

Seeking first the Kingdom of God and fixing our minds on things above which are the only things that last makes sense when you realise the outcome is in God's hand. Hence He tells us, “It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the LORD provides for those he loves, while they are asleep” (Psa 127.2). What this means is that it is not by our ability that we meet our needs. They are God’s gracious provision! Not so long ago, millions of chickens (more than 25 million) were culled because of the bird flu in the Asian countries. My wife and I were greatly upset to see the poor farmers having to destroy their poultry and lose their precious livelihood! How forcefully we are being reminded that heaven holds the key to our daily bread on earth!

I believe all the more that these are the very reasons why we are commanded in the Scriptures to “Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things”. It is an attitude of the heart and exercise of the mind that we need to cultivate deliberately and possess. It won’t come naturally or easily. Just a simple thing like praying three times a day like Daniel of old you find it hard to do when you try! I have tried setting the alarm on my watch to remind me. But when it goes off, I may be in the midst of an operation or consultation and I am not free to pray!

Dear believer, how then will you keep your mind on things above instead of worldly things like everyone else? The apostle Paul tells us the secret in another passage. Have a new mind or renewal of the mind or transformation of the mind, by the Holy Spirit. Only He can set our minds free from the cares and covetousness of the world and help us to fasten them on heaven! If you do not learn to do that, even little by little, but remain burdened with worldly things, you will never be ready for heaven when your call comes! I thank God for old age, for it slowly makes you loosen your grip on earth whether you like it or not. It prepares you for heaven! But, dear believer, your call could come anytime! You too must prepare, even now!

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me not follow the world, always thinking about earthly things. Instead, help me change the way I think. Let me deliberately take time to think about You and heavenly things. Amen.

I Live By Faith

I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME. Galatians 2.20

When the going is good, we trust in ourselves and do whatever we can to get along in life. And all of us do rather well, most of the time! Few are those who deliberately take the time to thank God for His grace and providence. But when trials come the story is different. We find that we cannot handle things by ourselves anymore, by our own wisdom and skill. It is then that most people turn to God and cry out, “O Lord, save me!”

But it would be wonderful if you and I could live our lives daily like the apostle Paul. His life was quite different from ours. From the time He met the risen Lord Jesus Christ who appeared to him in a vision, he fully trusted in Him. He committed his life totally to Him. He forsook his illustrious past – education and achievements and seat of power among the religious rulers. It was not because Paul could not trust himself and accomplish things on his own! If any one could live by faith in himself, it was Paul.

All that had passed away! Now things were altogether different in Paul’s life. He considered himself dead to self on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was fully convinced that Jesus loved him and gave Himself for him! It was a personal revelation and relationship. Nothing could shake his faith in Jesus any more. He threw off everything of his past and held on to Christ alone. He kept proclaiming to himself and others, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. It is a good spiritual exercise for us too!

Paul felt a ‘oneness’ with Christ so complete that he did not consider that he had any existence separate from Him! Such must be the true life in Christ which you and I should develop and possess. Only such an attitude will let us give our life fully to Him. Only then will we enjoy the freedom which Paul had. Freedom from sin and anxiety. Freedom from self, selfish interests and self-dependency. Freedom from bad habits and sinful addictions!

To declare like Paul, “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”, is to live in the true liberty of the Holy Spirit. No matter what happens in life, good or bad, happy or sad, health or sickness, wealth or poverty, it will not upset you. If you no longer live but Christ lives in you, whatever your lot becomes His lot too. He will take care of your todays and tomorrows. He will sustain and lead you.

A true understanding of such a life of total faith in Christ will transform your life. Our spiritual life in Him will thrive. Our physical life will be without its heartaches. We will know what the Scripture says, “The righteous shall live by his faith” (Hab 2.4). It is that kind of faith that will make you triumphantly shout like the prophet, “Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle- even then, I will be happy with the LORD. I will truly find joy in God, who saves me. The LORD Almighty is my strength. He makes my feet like those of a deer. He makes me walk on the mountains” (Hab 3.17-19).

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to always consider that I have been crucified with You and I no longer live, but You live in me. The life I live in the body, help me to live by faith in You, the Son of God, Amen.