Suffering and God's Will

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

1 Peter 4:12-13

It is Jesus Christ who brings meaning and eternal value out of suffering.  In every way He was tempted as us, but He has suffered far more than any other man.  One cannot say in every way we suffer He has suffered because His suffering is exponentially greater.  As omniscient God whose wisdom is infinite, one can only imagine the depth of Christ's sufferings as Ecclesiastes 1:18 explains, "For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow."  Because Jesus is for us Wisdom, we can identify with Him in all our suffering for His sake; through faith we can rejoice with exceeding joy even in the fiery trial.

Everyone on this planet will suffer, and sometimes as a result of our own sin.  Peter exhorted followers of Christ in 1 Peter 4:15-16, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. ¹⁶  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."  As a follower of Christ we have fellowship with Him through suffering.  Jesus opened His arms to people who rejected Him, and we can open our arms to people who refuse us.  We can be hated for loving others according to the example Jesus has provided for us.  The fact we do the right thing before God and suffer aligns us with the experience of Jesus during His earthly pilgrimage.  For this reason we are to glorify God, realising He is the One who will help, comfort, and empower us to persevere.

For me, 1 Peter 4:19 is the clincher:  "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."  Sometimes we question the fiery trial we feel thrown into, but it is supremely comforting to know when we suffer for Christ's sake we "suffer according to the will of God."  Jesus only did the will of the Father and was a "man of sorrows, acquainted with grief."  The divine paradox is He is also the source of fullness of joy which surpasses knowledge!  It is this knowledge which aids us to commit our souls to God in righteous conduct despite pain or opposition, knowing our God is faithful.  He will not forsake us, and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus.

Everyone suffers, but for the Christian suffering is redemptive and brings transformation.  Suffering by itself leads to despair, but suffering according to God's will enables us to rejoice in our Saviour.  As real as your suffering is today for Christ's sake, your rejoicing will be infinitely more intense, continual, and eternal when Christ's glory is revealed.  How good is that?

Both To Will and To Do

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

Philippians 2:12-13

I love these verses because they hold forth man's responsibility before God and God's sufficiency to accomplish all.  Followers of Jesus Christ are not saved by good works but we have been saved for them (Eph. 2:10).  We cannot rightly adopt a passive and careless view of our choices or conduct, assuming God will accomplish His will in our lives without our cooperation.  The work of God is not performed through mustering the strength of our flesh, but through faith and obedience to the Holy Spirit who works in us "both to will and to do for His good pleasure."  Our desire to obey God and the ability to do things which please God both arise from Him alone.

To "will" and to "do" are two distinct things.  We may desire to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, but completing the ascent is another matter altogether.  There are also things in life we do because we must, and we can approach and complete tasks devoid of all desire or affection.  A job can become a drudgery, a duty we actually despise.  Yet when it comes to pleasing God through good works, God works in us both to will and to do.  He brings these things together beautifully and makes pleasing our Maker possible and brings satisfaction to our souls.

On my son's cricket team, in batting it is a rare commodity to possess both the will and the ability to bat.  Virtually none of the boys are interested to open against the best bowlers.  Many forced into the role showed they were not able to score runs before losing their wicket!  But occasionally there will be a lad who has the will to be in and the ability to stay in.  When they succeed in a run chase or finish the day "not out," they are all smiles as they walk triumphantly off the pitch.  They had both the will and the ability to endure and succeed.  They are happy with their accomplishment, and I imagine their teammates and parents are glad too.  All men find satisfaction in a job well done, and those who hear "Well done!" from their heavenly Father are infinitely glad as well.

Praise the LORD when we work out our own salvation He works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  That God would partner with men for His glory!

The Worthy Ideal

Positive reform requires an intentional return to an old ideal.  Progress is not altering the original ideal but a renewed aim of obtaining it.  That is a philosophical strength of Christianity, for Jesus Christ is the One we are called to fix our eyes on and pursue.  We strive to obey Him, love like Him, and do all for His glory.  Just because we fail doesn't mean Christ is a failure or is unworthy of being pursued.  He provides a more solid foundation for us than the bedrock of earth, for Jesus was, is, and will ever be.  This world will have an end, but Jesus Christ and His words will endure forever.

When I see people protesting and rioting over political disagreements, I wonder if the rioters all agree.  I can tell you they do not.  Even if they all agree on anarchy and the means they employ to destroy the corrupt "system," I can assure you they do not agree on what form of government should rise in its place or who should make the decisions concerning it.  Without a fixed ideal men destroy and cannot build.  People united for change tear down what was built and then tear each other apart.  When God confounded the languages at Babel not only did the inhabitants cease working together but they couldn't imagine living together.  This is the world in which we live - among people who speak the same language but cannot agree on a governing, guiding principle.  Consider the observations of G.K. Chesterton in his masterpiece, Orthodoxy:

"As long as the vision of heaven is always changing, the vision of earth will be exactly the same.  No ideal will remain long enough to be realised, or even partly realised.  The modern young man will never change his environment; for he will always change his mind.  This, therefore, is our first requirement about the ideal towards which progress is directed; it must be fixed.  Whistler used to make many rapid studies of a sitter; it did not mater if he tore up twenty portraits.  But it would matter if he looked up twenty times, and each time saw a new person sitting placidly for his portrait.  So it does not matter (comparatively speaking) how often humanity fails to imitate its ideal; for then all its old failures are fruitful.  But it does frightfully matter how often humanity changes its ideal, for then all its old failures are fruitless." (Chesterton, G. K. Orthodoxy. 1st ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. pages 114 - 115, Print.)

As we follow Jesus Christ with our eyes fixed upon Him, all our failures can be made fruitful.  We have all made many blunders along the way, but Jesus remains the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  We have failed to live according to God's standards of righteousness, love, and forgiveness, yet God's sublime standard remains unchanged, untainted in a world soiled with deceit, hidden ulterior motives, and subjectivity.  Jesus stood and cried aloud to all who listened, and He stands today having risen from the dead.  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; His rule and reign is without end.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  It is easier for this universe to be completely dissolved than for a single word He has spoken to be stripped of power and significance.  Jesus is, and wise men seek Him, fix their eyes upon Him, and follow Him.

The Planting of the LORD

During Sunday's sermon I related a story to encourage all how God keeps His promises.  Though there aren't always signs or miracles continually to confirm the faithfulness of our God, He does provide His presence and amazing evidence in our earthly pilgrimage.  If we seek the LORD with our whole hearts we will find Him.  For well over a decade I have met weekly with various fellow Christians to pray.  For years before I knew of God's call upon my life to immigrate to Australia I met with a brother named Rudy to seek the LORD in prayer.  God brought great encouragement and strength through times of prayer, and even used a fallen tree to confirm His word to me.

I was on staff at the church when a tree in a large pot toppled over.  The tree was sizable and it lay flat on the ground for a day or two as the staff considered our options.  We certainly didn't want it to go to waste, so the assistant pastor and I dug a hole big enough for the root ball to fit in a sunny spot, dragged the tree over to the hole best we could, and transplanted it.  We lashed limbs to a nearby fence and watered the tree.  It was really a "sink or swim" approach to planting a tree with no special fertiliser, amended soil, or much knowledge or skill in growing trees at all.  If it lived it lived, and if it died it was firewood.

The tree went into shock and dropped most of the leaves.  Though it looked sad for a while there was still life in the tree, so I kept watering it.  One day Rudy said something like, "That tree is a picture of what God is doing with you.  He's going to transplant you."  That struck me.  It showed me the importance of my need to be established before there could be growth.  As a family we would need to be patient to have roots drinking in water to withstand strong winds and dry seasons.  It was almost a living parable of the church God connected us with as well.  God eventually opened a door for us to move to Australia, and the tree was almost forgotten.  It turned out I had not been forgotten by God or the many people who have continued to pray for us to this day six years later.

After about two years I returned to visit my home church.  One of the first things Rudy said to me with a grin upon my return was, "Have you seen your tree?"  I walked over and looked at it.  Gone were the restraints, it was full of green leaves, and well over twice the size than before!  It was such an encouragement to know God cares for people more than trees, and He is able to make both thrive in His time.  As I prepared to share this story as an illustration in the sermon, on a whim I decided to look up what kind of tree it was.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered the name of "my" tree was "ficus benjamina" - Benjamin being my first name!  That God could use a fallen tree as a support for my faith as I look to Jesus!

My home church has since sold the building to a school and over the years much has changed.  I used Google Earth to see if the tree is still there, and to this day it continues to flourish and grow.  God has promised all who meditate of His Word day and night will resemble a tree in Psalm 1:3:  "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."  No tree will last forever, but God, His promises, and those whose lives are founded upon Jesus Christ will.  How awesome is our God!  He can use a single tree to impact a life, and He can use you too!  (the tree can be seen behind the school on the corner of Johnson and Main in El Cajon, circled below in white)