One-ness with God…
Question 5 - Although you may face hardship, do you believe that God is good and God wants the best for you (Jer 29:11)?
Life is hard... lots of challenges, disappointments and sorrows around us... We wish to have everything. We want to be in control. We want life to be easy with comforts, security and filled with fame, money and power. The bad news is we are often disappointed and get stressed out with fears and worries. The good news is nobody is spared from challenges and disappointments. In Asian cultures, life is defined as a sequence of steps “birth, old age, sickness, death”. Everybody will die and in between, people live as if “life is a sea of hardship”.
When we face hardship – financial, health, broken relationship, disability or death - it is really difficult to find peace and joy, and to believe that the tests are good for us. It becomes easy to question God and to live in despair because the problems seem too big and insurmountable. It is tempted to forget God, to forget that we are His children, and take the matter in our own hands.
By His words in the Bible, God reveals who He is… God tells us to rest in Him in this short life and to be happy because He already redeems us for eternity. We believe and live by God’s words, not by bread alone. Amen.
- God is the almighty Creator. The Lord Jesus Christ created all things… Gen 1:1 – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth; Psalm 33:8 – Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the people of the world revere Him; Isa 44:24 – This is what the Lord says – your redeemer, who formed you in the womb. I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself; John 1:1, 3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made, without him, nothing was made; Rom 1:20 – For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse; Col 1:16-17 – For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
- No challenge is too great. God will rescue us… 1 Cor 10:13 – No temptations has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
- Not be afraid, God is our Father… Isa 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my right hand.
- Jesus said, in Him we may have life in full… John 10:10 – I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
- God has a good plan that gives us hope and a future… Jer 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
- God has already given His son Jesus, the most precious gift to us, therefore will also give us other good gifts… Rom 8:32 – He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
- God knows we are weak, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are praying for us… Rom 8:34 – Jesus is at the right hand of God and also is interceding for us; Rom 8:26 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
We all worry about this life on earth because it is all we know. God will not only help us here but will also save our souls from hell for eternity. Jesus loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to die and be separated from Him. Eternal life is so much more than this life, and is the most precious gift that believers have found and should look forward to. Heaven inheritance is far more valuable than earthly wealth. Believers should be focusing on Jesus as they walk with Him on the faith journey, and not let hardship steal the peace, joy and eternal life that belong to them. Let’s keep God’s words in our hearts and gladly share to help people who are facing hardship.
To wrap this up, I would like to remind us of Elsie’s story. Elsie is a contact in my group and had encountered extreme hardship. She prayed and earnestly asked God for help. We also joined and prayed to Jehova Jireh for Elsie. And one day, I received good news from Elsie that a person had given her money for rents and more money to start a business. Praise God for His love, provisions and His promises have come through for Elsie and for all of us as well.
We believe and live by God’s words, not by bread alone. Amen.
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