No exemption from troubles

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33

Unfortunately for the Christian, we are not exempt from troubles and difficulties in this life but the one thing we can be absolutely sure of is that God is with us in the midst of all our difficulties and he is fighting for us. 

Whilst I would never happily embrace trouble, I know that it is in the hard times that my character has been shaped and my dependence on God and his goodness deepened. I have no problem donning my armour, resisting the devil and enforcing the victory Jesus won for us at the cross but sometimes it seems we have to walk through a long, hard valley of the shadow of death.  It is important that we never forget: 

‘I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’ Psalm 23: 4

God is with us.

I had the great pleasure of listening recently to a message preached by a young lady who I used to teach. It was incredible. It was prophetic, full of Scripture and truly inspirational.

However this young lady went through some tough times whilst at university. She plays the violin and was studying music. She hurt her wrist and was unable to play her violin for quite a while, something she both loves but was also essential to her gaining her degree. All the time she couldn’t play, she studied hard but also did all she could to help with concerts that others were playing in and that she would have loved to be participating in. She didn’t stay away, feeling sorry for herself, she sold tickets and programmes, served refreshments and helped out in any way possible. That is character building. That is what lays foundation blocks in our lives that become essential to being able to preach inspirational messages later. 

 Another lady that has had terrible trouble but is also truly inspirational is Joni Eareckson Tada. At age 17, she foolishly dived into the water and broke her neck on a hidden rock. For 50 years now she has been unable to move any part of her body from her neck down. She is in constant pain and has to rely on others for every single thing to do with her body. 

Does she regret her foolish dive? Of course but has she given up on her life? Never. She now has a worldwide ministry of speaking engagements, radio and TV broadcasts and books inspiring others both able and disabled. God has opened doors for her that would never have been opened if she had been able bodied. She is a mighty champion for the disabled, influencing governments, and involved in all manner of programmes worldwide.

 If you ever need a bit of encouragement, find one of her programmes on YouTube or read one of her books. She really epitomises Romans 8:28  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. 

Troubles will come and find us and we must do all we can to fight the devil and all his works because that is what Jesus came to do- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3: 8. 

However we know God is always with us and sometimes we must walk through hardships, letting our Lord form his character in us, shaping us for the journey ahead, trusting that our lives are in his hand and that he is working out his plans and purposes. 

Follow my example

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11: 1

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4: 12

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2: 21

In a previous blog (Catch me if you can), I wrote about passing on a spiritual inheritance to the next generation so they can lay hold of what others may have taken much effort and paid a great price to obtain. 

If we are to pass on this spiritual inheritance which can spur those younger in the faith to take the baton and run with it, we need to be those living a life that provides an example to follow and be inspirational. This comes first from an authentic, passionate relationship with Jesus. This is based not on our love for Jesus but on his for us. If it is based on our love it will be a fragile affair but if based on Christ’s powerful, unconditional love it will hold us in the good and bad times.

Everyone’s example can be an inspiration if it mirrors a faith based on a genuine relationship with God. Our daughter-in-law said in her baptismal testimony that she was inspired by a couple: ‘Seeing two people who really gave their lives for their faith resonated with me. It wasn’t something you just say but something you live.’ Another inspirational lady was ‘strong and passionate in her friendship with the Lord.’

A passionate relationship with Jesus is not enough though. It has to flow into a lifestyle that is markedly different to others. It is not enough to be ‘nice’ or ‘kind’. The world is full of people who are not Christians but who are very nice and genuinely kind who do all sorts of amazing things for others.

What should mark out the Christian is a different attitude to every aspect of life – a life that does not take on the world’s values or lifestyles but Christians whose lives are based on a Godly set of values and morals, not spending everything on themselves or pleasure but investing in every way to see God’s Kingdom come. J John says ‘We have not been saved to live as we want to live; we have been saved to live like Christ’.

If we truly want the next generation to follow Jesus more passionately than ourselves, to become people who desire to see his Kingdom come then we must show that our lives are radically different in the way we spend our time, our money and our attitude to others especially when others don’t deal well with us.

Joseph and Daniel both had trouble with those who were their ‘bosses’. Joseph paid a heavy price for refusing Mrs Potiphar’s advances but maintained his moral integrity and ended up in prison. Daniel would not give up his daily prayer schedule and ended up in the lions’ den. Today many Christians face great persecution in their faith. Lions’ dens may have gone out of fashion but being ostracised from family, losing jobs, facing prison, torture and even death are an increasing reality for many Christians.

Learning to follow Jesus example of grace and forgiveness whilst never condoning sin is a wonderful model. I have been inspired to follow the example of both those facing genuine persecution as well as Christians treated shamefully by others. These Christians have maintained their dignity and integrity and have never given up their faith or their determination to do the right thing despite strong provocation. That is authentic Christianity because it follows the example of Jesus.

We all need Godly examples to follow and we all need to be Godly examples. Both those younger in the faith and the world need to see a sincere Christianity that actually works in faith, in deeds and in words. Something that models love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and sacrifice.  Something in fact that looks a bit like Jesus.

Earlier this year, I took up jogging, something I had never done before in my life. I have always been active but actual jogging – no way. I needed some inspiration to get going so I found a suitable podcast and for 8 weeks followed the programme successfully. The eighth week was particularly inspirational as it used the launch and landing of the space shuttle Discovery to start and end the run.  There was a real sense of achievement after running for 30 minutes nonstop for the first time.

We all need inspiration to help us in our lives. Over the years, many people, Christians and non, have inspired me to live better, to make the most of my life and to give to the world.

However, as Christians we need also to be inspirational. There is so much negativity about Christians and the Church that when people come across someone who has an authentic faith being lived out on a daily basis, it becomes a source of comment, question and hopefully helps someone towards salvation. I know that was very important when we got saved over 30 years ago. The friends who had been encouraging us took us to a water baptism service. It was the first time we had been to a full immersion baptism. I was struck by the fact that the people in this church were getting a lot more from life, church and their Christianity than I certainly was. It was an important step along the way.

We all impact those around us both positively and negatively with our words, actions and attitudes, often quite unrealised. We have a friend in South Africa who has an amazing testimony of God’s deliverance and salvation from drug abuse, prostitution and a lifestyle of abuse.  We were all in our home group one day when she commented that looking at the married couples had really helped her realise that marriage could work. Her experience of marriage had not been good, yet observing the marriages of various older couples – not perfect but working – helped heal her extremely negative view of matrimony.

I am always amazed at the comments people make about my life, telling me they’ve noticed I don’t swear, that I am a Christian even when I’ve said nothing. On one occasion, when I was just standing admiring the bowls green before a game I was asked if I was praying for the match. I wasn’t but I offered to do so if they would like!

We also though need to inspire one another in our Christian walk. I love being around people who have a different or deeper faith to mine but I believe we all have a role to play in inspiring one another. In 1 Thessalonians 5: 11 Paul wrote Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. This was written in the context of Christians awaiting Jesus’ second coming but it’s appropriate in any circumstance.

Encouragement and inspiration may be overt but also unintentional by a positive lifestyle full of love for the Lord, a passion for his name and a consistency in the good and not so good times. God didn’t save us to be grumblers and complainers but to be light to the world, to see things from God’s perspective and to show this to our world.