Notes - 1st July 06

Bible passages:
Psalm 34:1-10
James 1:2-12

Troubles, problems, pain, suffering. None of us avoid these realities of life on earth, and none of us would choose to encounter them in life. God does not will these experiences upon us, they are a consequence of the 'fallen' nature of life on earth as a result of humanity's sinfulness and the Devil's destructiveness. But God can use these problems and circumstances to develop our character and to make us more like Jesus. God can bring purpose out of every problem, above all God uses problems to draw us closer to himself. Joni Eareckson Tada notes, 'When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, with imitating him and quoting him and speaking of him. But only in suffering will we know Jesus.'

Problems force us to look to God and depend on him, instead of ourselves. You'll never know that God is all you need, until God is all you've got.

Read Ps 34:1-10 David's circumstances were grim, but in them he looked to the Lord alone for help. Have you had circumstances that have moved you to do the same? In David's case, he was freed from the situation he was facing. But imagine if he had not been released from the situation. In that scenario, can you still speak of God saving, delivering? In what sense?

Rick Warren writes: 'Regardless of the cause, none of your problems could happen without God's permission. Everything that happens to a child of God is Father-filtered, and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad.'

Warren is writing specifically about Christians' experience in these words, can you agree with them when you think about some of the most difficult experiences you have gone through? Does everything that you pass through, as a Christian, have spiritual significance, as Warren suggests?

Read James 1:2-12 Picture a jewel set in the rock: it needs to be hammered out of the rock, then chiselled to remove the rough edges, and cut to reflect the light off it's facets. Only then is the beauty of the jewel realised. In our lives, God uses the hammer and chisel of troubles to build Christ-like character in us, chipping away at our stubborness, our hardness of heart. Every problem is a character building opportunity, with the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fibre.

'you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance'(James 1:3)

What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but your character will last forever. The Message translates James1:3 as, 'Under pressure your faith-life is forced out into the open and shows its true colours'

Following Jesus, means not only heeding his teaching, imitating his example, trusting his promises, it also involves sharing in the experiences he went through in living for God: loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection etc. The Bible says Jesus 'learned obedience through suffering' and 'was made perfect through suffering'. Why would God exempt us from what he allowed his own Son to experience?

But there is nothing automatic about problems producing Christ-likeness, some become bitter not better through them, we must:

Respond to problems as Jesus would

*Remember that God's plan is good. God knows what is best for you and has your best interests at heart. It is vital to stay focused on God's plan, not your pain or problem. Jesus shows us how:

'Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards.' (Heb 12:1). Don't give in to short-term thinking, stay focused on the end result.

*Rejoice and give thanks. (1 Thess 5:18) 'give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' God is not asking us to be thankful for all circumstances, but to be thankful that he will use our problems to fulfill his purposes, and he is going through the pain with us.

*Refuse to give up. Be patient and persistent. Character building is a slow process, that is working through the difficulties we encounter in life. Pray fewer 'Comfort me' (Get me out of this) prayers and more 'Conform me' prayers (Use this to make me more like you).

You know you are maturing when you begin to see the hand of God in the random, baffling and seemingly pointless circumstances of life.

If you are facing trouble right now, don't ask, 'why me?', ask, 'what do you want me to learn?', then trust God and keep on doing what is right.

Points to ponder

*There is a purpose behind every problem

*What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?

*How has God used pain or trouble to help you grow?