"Tis the season to be jolly"?

After what I said my last blog, I can practically hear the cynic saying, “I’ve heard this God pitch before.  If I become a Christian all my problems will magically go away.  I’ll live a life of ease, comfort, prosperity, abundance, and pleasure, right?”  The short answer is no.  But let me elaborate.

In John 16, Jesus is speaking His final words to His disciples before He gives His life on the cross of Calvary.  The disciples are the men who spent extensive time with Jesus.  If anyone was going to get some sort of preferential treatment, it would be them.  Well, check out verse 33 of John 16; Jesus says, “In this world, you will have tribulation.”  Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “In this world, you will have wealth, riches, and healing, if you name it and claim it.”  He didn’t say, “In this world, you’ll have “Your Best Life Now”” (to quote a book title from a popular but erroneous church leader).”  No, Jesus said to His closest followers, in no uncertain terms, “In this world, you will have tribulation.”

If you’ve decided to commence a relationship with Jesus Christ, that's wonderful; praise God. But don’t be misled or deceived; just because you made this important choice, it does not exempt you from pain, suffering, and trouble.  The Bible says, “It rains on the just and the unjust.”  Life on this planet is filled with tribulation, pain, and heartache.  For example, the Lord, in His mysterious will, chose to take my dad home to Heaven much sooner than I ever expected.  So this time of the year is a bittersweet time for me.

Of course, I know I’m not the only one suffering; life is difficult for many others as well.  Some are dealing with rebellious children, a rocky marriage, intense financial struggles, betrayal, false accusations, or health crises.  I’m not ignorant of the distresses of life, believe me.  For many, “’tis the season to be jolly” is a remote thought!  Painful circumstances such as these won’t be magically avoided just because you are a Christian.  However, the believer does have some advantages that the non-believer doesn’t have.  Let me highlight an important one today:  

The last sermon that my dad heard on Earth was delivered by a guy named Brad Ellgen. At one point, Brad made a statement that, at the time, I had no idea how apropos it was going to be to me.  He said that people always declare that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.  But no one ever fleshes out what that “wonderful plan” is.  This plan is not to win the lottery and have all your ailments healed; rather, God’s plan is to always to be with the Christian, no matter what intense difficulties may come.  “That’s God’s plan for our life,” he stated.  “Not that we will be spared pain, not that we will spared hardship, but that God will be with us.”  “In this world,” Jesus said to His devoted followers, “You will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome with the world.”

Kevin