Faith Truimphs inTrouble
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out ( shed abroad KJV) in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
I grew up with the KJV, so shed abroad is what I best relate to. The word picture of shed abroad reminds me of rain falling on parched ground, and as it falls, it not only soaks in but travels over the ground down the slopes filling up all the depressions and low areas of the terrain. It doesn’t take long for the whole area to be completely soaked. The rain changes hard dry ground into piliable soft ground. Add irrigation and you now have land that can be worked with. That is how I would describe God’s Love. His love begins to change the selfish composition of my heart into a heart that wants to be with Him. I begin to care for people outside my circle.
As we grow in our faith the reality of His love grows in us. We begin to sense His presence more, our soul starts to feel like well irrigated land. On the days that I “feel” more parched than irrigated, my “roots”( faith) must dig deeper in His Word in search of His promises, which represents “His water.” My desperation is that which actually grows my faith and that is exactly what plants do; they search for water in times of lack. With my landscapes I instruct my clients once the plants are established to hold back a day of water in the weekly cycle. By making them search for water it makes them stronger plants. In God’s economy no trial is wasted if it causes us to seek Him.
Like people, plants get comfortable when the water is right at their doorstep (root tips). As an example, trees that are planted next to or in lawns in variably have shallower roots. The tree has no need to go much deeper. Yet with the first major storm these trees are the first to fall, especially as they mature and become top heavy. In our times of storm we MUST spend more time in prayer and in the Word and connect with other brothers and sisters. These three methods are not options if we want to conquer our fear and anxiety, if not, we will be conquered by them. As Paul says…
Romans 8:37-39
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And Paul brings out a truth that we might overlook. Since nothing can separate us from God actually loving us or us enjoying His love then despite our loses, pain, difficulty or struggles Paul considers us victors. Do we believe this, or do we have to get the perfect job, or have vigor and health or have the perfect marriage or kids or earn a six digit income. Is that not how we define being a victor? I believe it is, so why was Paul persuaded? Out of anyone he could have had the right to be downcast and discouraged. He went through so many painful experiences. Yet he believed that despite it all he and we can too be more than conquerors.
A conqueror lives to one day be conquered, it is true of all the kingdoms of ancient times. However, in Christ that does NOT have to be true. Yet despite this awesome truth I know people that instead of digging deeper to grow their faith they have made a career out of worry. As in the parable of the sower where the seed was thrown among the weeds, we do the same. Eventually the cares of this world will choke out our faith. Martha, Mary’s sister is another example. She cared more about preparing a nice supper than preparing her heart for Jesus. I’m sure she received her identity and self worth from being a good cook and hostess. However Jesus presence represented a new truth, a much higher identity by which to define oneself by. Listen to Jesus’s words after Martha complained about Mary not helping her ( she reached her breaking point) Martha said paraphrased, “Lord do you not care that I alone am working and Mary my sister does not help ( translated, Lord do you not care about me?) “ Martha, Martha you are troubled and busy with so many things, but ONLY ONE THING IS NEEDFUL and Mary has CHOSEN the better part.” By what or from what do we derive our self esteem? Have we chosen the better part, are we living for Jesus?
The cares and worry of this temporal life if allowed can and do strangle our faith, destroying the intimacy that we should be having with Jesus. This only compounds our struggles, making our life that much more difficult. And if our worrying just affected us then it’s just our issue, but our worry and anxiety become a burden to others. Our kids, our spouse, our work associates, etc., and this worry affects everything that we are invested in. Instead of demonstrating a life of trust, joy and victory, our faith becomes a sham. I hate to say that, but it’s true. What good is our faith if it doesn’t set us free? By our own hands we tear down anything we are trying to build and make what our kids are learning in church null and void. Is that really the example we want to be, the legacy we want to leave?
Oftentimes this epistemic lack of trust in God comes back to our growing up years. If we didn’t feel loved, then we didn’t feel valued. We grew up feeling more like a bother than a treasure. This negative effect is especially true when dad’s are MIA. When we as dads put more emphasis on our careers than our family, it is done at a price. It is to the determent of the family. Putting ourselves first puts the family on shakey ground. If not realized and a course correction taken divorce is not far. And the break up of the family contributes greatly to the ills that plague our society. And these ills just repeat themself generation after generation. I’ve learned that being present, even if one works a lot of hours as I do, the kids understand. When I’m home, I’m home, I’m present. Kids understand that we work to live, not live for work. It’s a completely different feel and they can sense when dad’s career is first and they are second. The same is true with mom’s. Here’s what the scriptures say and it happens early on.
*Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:11
He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips,The king will be his friend.
And how will the child learn to love purity of heart and speak with grace and kindness unless the child is taught and these values instilled within him or her.
As parents we are suppose to raise our children to know the Lord and somewhere in their teen years they take ownership of their faith. If that does not happen then it means that the bridge to faith was never completed. As a young teenager I heard the Gospel and I was able to believe that God loved me mainly because I knew that my dad and mom loved me. So my parents laid the bridge for me to believe, even though my dad was not a believer (only went to church on Christmas and Easter). When we feel unloved we go searching, and in a searching state we try different things to find meaning and identity and in veritably wrong choices are made. Multiple relationships, addictive substances or behaviors that are risky and careless as well as just poor decisions are made. The whole porn industry has young men and women who represent this.
For those of us that miss these painful traps are normal course is to get married and have kids. With more responsibilities, increased stress from work, life becomes stressful and for some overwhelming. Our connection to God can still be in question or the extra stress can cause us to start seeking Him via attending church. However, if we cannot get control of the stress and worry it will affect our life and the life we have with others. Early in business I worried excessively, my stomach was always in knots. It was hard to be present with the family. I finally told the Lord that I was tired of this and that I was either going to trust Him or walk from the Christian faith. I was tired of being fake. I dove into His Word and memorized all the scriptures that dealt with trust and read all the stories that dealt with how God saved David, Joshua, Daniel and Moses. This became my focus and as I did that I began to come home. Our foundation ( God and I) was being laid ( nice and thick), the business was no longer going to controll me. I learned that God was my business partner and together we would do this. It’s now been thirty years and He’s the best business partner anyone could have.
If as parents and even grandparents, if we overdo anything, we need to overdo loving God and our fellow man which our families are first in line. We need to show His love through us, be it hugs, holding hands or just spending time together. These ways communicate value and care and that they are special. As Jesus did for us, and in so doing gave us a life of direction and purpose. If this is not your story then please consider seriously His Words and accept His invitation.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
When the family is young is when a foundation of love must be laid. Love is welcomed at any age, but in the forming of a child’s self image it must be present. Just as in baking, all the ingredients must be present to get the cake to rise. Parenting can be a daunting task, especially if you have multiple kids and your job is stressful. That’s when this verse becomes a crutch we can rest on. We come to Him in prayer, through Bible study and church attendance and allow Him to equip us and then work through us with our family, work and associates. When we are right with Him we can handle so much more, because He’s in it with us.
Therefore as our children mature and become self conscious of their strengths, their weaknesses, their looks, etc., especially in relationship to others their ability to accept themselves without feeling inferior or superior, has everything to do with the the building blocks of truth we have instilled within them. Most importantly, how we ourselves have lived out our values through the challenges, struggles and victories of life is so important for them to see. Our actions must model the truths we are teaching. As the saying goes, more is caught than taught. How cool it would be to hear our family say, yes my parents taught me this but I learned it by watching them live it out.
Father God,
Thank you for this practical study on parenting. As You parent us we are to model that with our kids and grand kids. It’s not that hard if we make our relationship to You our priority. Thank you for your love and kindness, let us become expressions of You. Amen
Move Foward in His Grace – Arthur
Arthur Navarrette