Life is hard. Does anyone else feel that way this week? There are so many things that test our dependence on the Lord. How much do we really believe that He is enough? We say that we are content in Him alone, but there are many hardships and trials that test if that is true.
For many, these seasons of hardships can cause people to question whether God is really good. But we know that He is righteous. These hardships just cause us to wrestle with what we really believe.
So, what do we do when hardship comes? Let's take a look at what God's word has to say on the subject.
Have you ever seen hardship as loving? This is extremely counterintuitive and countercultural to what the world tries to tell us. Yet, this is what makes our God so amazing. Even hardships can be seen in a positive light because of Jesus.
In Hebrews, the author is writing to a group of believers who have obviously seen some rough days. And let's be honest. Almost every book in the New Testament addresses the issue of persecution because almost all believers at that time were persecuted for their faith. It doesn't seem like there was a whole lot of cultural christianity. If you were a Christian, it was not in name only! You had to believe it wholeheartedly because there were those who would hate you and take action.
Paul encourages them to :
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded (Hebrews 10: 32-35, my italics).
He claims that these Hebrew believers joyfully accepted hardship when it came. How many of us would accept someone stealing something of ours without grumbling or complaining? In a world where things are the most valuable, it can be difficult to let go of even the most minor inconveniences. Someone cuts you off on the road. Your favorite restaurant closes down. The insurance company will not take your calls.
Yet these believers rejoiced and praised God even when publicly insulted or someone stole something from them!
I think of Philippians where Paul tells the church of Philippi, also experiencing severe public persecution, to "do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life" (Philippians 2: 14-16).
He does not say to do some things without grumbling or complaining. He says do everything.
Now you might ask, "How am I supposed to do that? I am not perfect."
That is true. None of us are. It is certainly not easy to live without grumbling or complaining. And it is certainly not something we do to earn salvation or God's love.
I was listening to a pastor this week speak about Romans 12, where Paul says to "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God" and gives them specific instructions on how to live a holy life (vv. 1).
That can seem like a heavy burden. A responsibility, in fact. But it all comes down to our hearts.
This pastor stated that "belief comes before behavior, and becoming a living sacrifice is a response, not a responsibility."
We are only able to be transformed, to offer our lives as a holy sacrifice to God, to see hardship as discipline, to joyfully endure persecution as a response to His mercy.
In fact, if you look at the beginning of that verse in Romans 12, Paul starts off by saying, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice." (vv. 1, my emphasis)
That means you have to recognize the empty, broken, dead life you were living before Jesus came to save you from your sin and raised you to new life. It is only when His mercy becomes our reality that we are able to live joyfully in any and all circumstances.
That is why Paul commands us to "endure hardship as discipline" because "God is treating [us] as his children." You may be thinking, "what kind of parent wants their child to go through hard things?" Well, Paul anticipated this question. His response is with another question.
For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12: 7-11)
We have all been disciplined by our earthly parents. And if we haven't, it is really not a good thing. We all know those children who consistently are selfish, mean, and want their own way all the time -and their parents never do anything about it. Is that really loving the child? To let them continue to do things that will only bring them harm relationally, emotionally, even physically? NO.
You may ask, "How does that have to do with hardship and persecution, though? I'm not doing anything wrong, so why does God have to use hardship to 'discipline' me?"
This hardship discussed in Hebrews 12 is not a direct response to their sin. It is not God punishing the Hebrew believers for something they did wrong. But....we all want to become more like Christ. That is, after all, what God has called us to do. Yet, we also know this is something we cannot do on our own. And since we are such stubborn human beings, often times it takes hardship and persecution to force us to remember our dependence upon the Lord. Furthermore, as said before in Hebrews 12, this hardship often "produces a harvest of righteousness and peace" because we are humbled before the Lord. It is only when we are humble that we can be molded into the image of His son.
But, there is more. Paul mentions rewards. The only reason someone would choose to endure persecution is because they know there is something better.
According to Open Doors USA, a non-profit organization that ministers to persecuted Christians around the globe, in 2021 there were:
Over 360 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination.
5,898 Christians killed for their faith.
5,110 churches and other Christian buildings attacked.
4,765 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned.
Do you think these Christians regretted their decision to follow Christ? Do you think they doubted God's existence? Do you think they believed that the things of this earth were greater than the rewards of Heaven?
I don't think so. The ones who doubt whether Christ is worth it would immediately renounce Him at the first sign of trouble.
No, we endure hardship as discipline because we know that Christ is alive. He is worth it. And He is coming. Anything of this world is nothing compared to what we have in Jesus.
So, I challenge you today to see your hardship as a joyful thing. God is treating you as His son or daughter! I leave you with this encouragement from Hebrews 12:
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"
(vv. 28-29)
References:
Open Doors USA. retrieved June 26, 2022 from, https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/
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