(Part 4 of 4)
“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer, or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear than name.”
1 Peter 4:14-16
If we lose our job because we cussed out our boss, stole from the company or were habitually late…we are NOT suffering for Jesus! If we live beyond our means and accrue tremendous debt and then cannot pay our bills…we are NOT suffering for Jesus! These types of acts are not to be “counted all joy”, but rather they are to be repented of! Instead, many people become frustrated and angry at God for not delivering them out of the mess they’ve created. They have dug themselves into a hole and have lived there for years, and now expect God to bail them out.
Not everything we face is a trial!
Some things we face are temptations; other things we face are the consequences of our poor choices. In each difficulty we face, we must diagnose the problem in order to know how to respond to it.
When it comes to facing the consequences of our sin, the way out is to make right decisions. The way out of that hole, we have dug ourselves into, is to climb out one right decision at a time. We must take responsibility for our poor decisions, repent, and make good choices.
I have never heard someone say that their credit score and finances were a wreck because they “tithed” to their church! No, their finances are a mess because of poor spending habits, indebtedness, and lack of savings. How do they climb out?
• Tithe in obedience to God’s Word
• Get on a budget (live within your means)
• Stop going into debt
• Save some money
I have never heard someone say that their marriage is messed up because they spent time together at a marriage retreat! No, their marriages are usually a wreck because of selfish choices being made by one or both of them.
There is no way to undo bad decisions. You can only move forward by making right ones! In every situation where there is the potential to make the right choice, there is also the temptation to make the wrong one, however 1 Corinthians 10:13 declares:
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Temptations are to be resisted and in every temptation there is a way out if we will look for it!
Other times, unfortunately, we face things that are beyond our control. They cannot be resisted or climbed out of. These are “trials”! Trials are those things that God uses to test our faith. James tells us to rejoice and count them all joy, because through them we develop perseverance that leads to greater maturity and spiritual growth.
Whether you are in a trial, temptation or consequence there is a way out. It may be through perseverance, it may have to be resisted or you may have to climb out, but God is faithful to see you through every one.
Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/
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