Anybody remember this old song? I think it was a pop love song, not a hymn, but the line above could have easily been written by God! Life is hard, and the Christian Life can be even harder. Not only do we have the normal struggles with economics and physical health, but we have also been called to be holy and to have a good attitude about the struggles. I for one would like to be happy, healthy, wealthy, wise AND hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant” when this life is done. How about you? Wouldn’t you like a trial free life that serves God’s purpose and keeps you smelling like a rose?
Last night in our home bible study, we were looking a Daniel 5. There is a really interesting turn of events right before God ends, forever, the reign of Nebuchadnezzar’s family. After Daniel reveals the meaning of the writing on the wall, “Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that HE now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom. That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.” Did you notice who got the glory? God’s man, not God. Contrast that with the Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians chapter four:
”If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!” (2 Cor 4:7-12 MSG)
Now, don’t hear me saying that God is going to forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), or that He doesn’t care (1 Peter 5:7), but do hear me say that if life isn’t going as planned, perhaps it’s because God is ensuring that He gets the Glory! After all, nobody gets their sins forgiven and their home in heaven guaranteed, by having faith in Scott!
Grace Notes 