Trials = Opportunities

Galatians 6:10

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Facing trials, obstacles, opposition or changes in life are normal. Not only normal, we are told to expect them. How we come out the other end however, is completely up to us.

Job of course had his problems. He chose to dig in his heels. He also began to question God. Not in a good way, but in a way that showed mistrust in God's actions and a penchant for self confidence and lack of humility. In the end all was well with Job, but only because he was personally and severely rebuked by God. Judas also faced a trial; should he give up Jesus or not? Will it further his ambitions and cause, or will it make things worse? These examples and many more show us that what effects a trial may have on us are determined by our actions. We can embrace the trial, and see it as an opportunity for growth and an open door, or an action of restriction and pain, from which we learn nothing, regress in our faith, and suffer the consequences of our choices.

Thomas a Kempis said in his book, the Imitation of Christ, "It is good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God who sees our hearts. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men."

Good advice for us all. If our roots are not in God, everything will become a trial, and all things 'Godly' will fail. We must sieze each trial as an opporunity for us to break out into the next area of service that God has for us.

Turn and Face the Strange Ch-ch-changes

Acts 8:1-3

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.  ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. ³ But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

 I used the NASB Translation here because of the clarity of the translation. We all know Paul's past. And yet we all look to Paul as such a great leader, and he is obviously a very important character in the history of fledgling Christianity. Authoring half of the New Testament makes that pretty clear. But what does Paul tell us about ourselves and about Jesus? Well, a lot; but we'll look at just a narrow point.

As I said, we all know Paul's story. He was a persecutor of the church. Struck blind by Jesus on the road dot Damascus, Paul was converted by an attack of conscience and truth. He had been wrong. He had persecuted Jesus. And the full realization was, he had persecuted his Savior, and those who vowed to follow Him. He had killed in the name of his faith, and in doing so cursed the very name of the founder of faith and the source of real love.

We are not told in so many words that Paul himself was a murderer; that he personally, physically, man-handled a person to death. But we can easily make a case that we should work under that assumption. More to the point, even if reasonable doubt still exists, he is most certainly a bona-fied accessory to murder as not only was here at the murder (stoning) of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, but as we can see from the verse above consented, agree to, gave his approval of, Stephen's murder. By today's law, he'd easily be convicted of Accomplice to and Conspiracy to murder. Those are capitol crimes. But, it is also murder in the eyes of God. Jesus Himself said that even if you have hate in your heart that you have already committed murder.

Any sin separates you from God, and its rightful punishment is death. However, most people when confronted with their own sin will respond by saying something like, "yea, I may have stolen, or cheated, but hey, I never killed anyone". In other words, we classify some sins in our own minds by saying some are more forgivable than others. Some specific sins are not as offensive as others. And while there is some biblical support for degrees of sin if you will (a debate for another time), the end result is that it does not matter. If you have transgressed against God, sinned if you will, than without a Savior, you are destined for Hell; eternal separation from God in a place that scripture defines with terrible metaphors and similes.

Bottom line, Paul, author of more than half the New Testament, taught by revelation from Jesus Himself, spreader of daily practical application for how to live our modern Christian life fits into that category of sinner. Yet, look at how he was used. But there is more to the story.

Before Paul could be used, he had to submit. And he had to learn to trust God. Fully.
On the road to Damascus Paul lost his sight. But he lost a lot more. He lost all of his old friends, and probably his family. He lost his political and social power and position. He lost his ability to hide behind his 'religion' and his traditions. He lost his ability to blame things on others. He lost his ability to trust in his own strength. And he was left with the reality that his only reality was total reliance on Jesus.

What I'm left with in pointing out these things is this: Paul was a far from relying on Jesus as anyone on this little blue sphere we call earth prior to his conversion. By submitting to Christ, leaving his fears and traditions behind - he became all those things that we know Paul became; author of New Testament books, corrector and rebuker of Peter, leader of men and Apostles, teacher of shepherds, founder of churches in Asia and the first Christian church in Europe and so much more.

Submitting to Christ, relying on Him fully can cause strange changes in one's life. You might become a whole new person. You might even ending up loving and caring for those people you previously hated. Your social position, worldly 'power' or influence may no longer mean anything to you. You may make your faith the forefront of who you are, not just something you try to make sense of on Sundays. You might even begin talking responsibility for your own actions, and relying on Christ in all things.

Fear builds distance from God. Distancing yourself from God forces self reliability, and if unchecked, self-deification. If Paul can be a murderer of Christians and a persecutor of Christ Himself, and be changed, transformed into a great man of faith, what are you holding God back from doing in your life? You know the old adage: the more you hold on to or keep to yourself, the less God has to work with and the less God can take over and free you from. Giving it all up will bring ch-ch-changes. But they will all be good for you and good for the Kingdom.

Trust.