eFax of Life from CBMC Heartland
A Weekly Inspirational Thought from Ken Korkow
God Doesn't Meet My Expectations
I get mad at God because:
He doesn't meet my expectations!
I try to do right. I see others trying to do right. Yet I / they get 'dumped on' - and the jerks seem to keep 'smelling like a rose'.
It's JUST NOT FAIR!
Ha! So much for fairness! Up to the ranch Liz painted a big sign which says:
"If life were fair - horses would ride half the time."
Here's my mistake: I figure if I can just reduce God to a formula / do the right 'inputs' / then I'll get the right 'outputs' (such as avoidance of pain and living in ease).
Wrong. God won't be reduced to a formula (otherwise we could walk by calculation rather than by faith) / we can't avoid pain (in fact - it's guaranteed - and He uses it in our lives) / we can't understand what He's doing (if we could understand God - He'd be way too small to be of any value).
After quoting 2 Timothy 3:12 ("Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.") listen to what Henry Blackaby has to say:
"Living a godly life will not insulate you from hardship. Paul said that the more blameless your life, the more likely you will be persecuted. According to Paul, "evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse" (2 Tim. 3:13). As the world increasingly embraces sin, worldly people are becoming increasingly intolerant of godliness. Darkness cannot tolerate light; the more your life illuminates the presence of Christ, the more you should expect opposition from the forces of darkness.
"Your Christlike nature will be offensive to those in rebellion against Christ's Lordship. You may have recently repented of your sin and taken a new step of obedience to God. Perhaps you expected to experience God's blessing immediately as He demonstrated His approval of your obedience. Instead, you were met with opposition. The persecution may have come even from other Christians who misunderstood your motives. Perhaps you obeyed God, and still your actions were met with criticism instead of praise. If you are sincerely following the Lord's direction, don't be discouraged. Paul warned that those who seek to live godly lives will suffer persecution. Do not be surprised when this happens to you.
"If the world crucified the Son of God, surely the world will be hostile to anyone who lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Persecution may be the best evidence that your life is like that of Christ. Jesus warned that the world hated Him, the Savior, and so it would certainly misunderstand and mistreat His disciples (John 15:18)."
Ken Korkow
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