Title: Rejoice in Tribulation (Aug 12)
Contents
Text Romans 5:3-4
All parents want their children to be cheerful and happy all the time rather than being depressed and sad all the time. Likewise, our Heavenly Father longs for us to be rejoicing and energized all the time.
So the Bible tells us: 'Rejoice always' (1 Thessalonians 5:16) 'Rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice' (Philippians 4:4) 'Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord' (Philippians 3:1) Of course, believers or unbelievers Or when something good happens to you, everyone rejoices and rejoices. On the other hand, the Bible continues to tell us to rejoice when bad things happen. Because when we rejoice in God, God comes closer to us through that joy and grants us the desires of our hearts.
Just as butterflies and bees flock after the scent of flowers, when we exhale the scent of joy, God comes to us, blesses us and loves us even more. Therefore, the Bible says: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
One of the precious privileges we Christians have is to rejoice, rather than annoy, when faced with difficult problems, when faced with hardships, and even in the stressful immigrant life.
If we could rejoice in our troubles and difficulties and in this foreign land, we would indeed be the happiest people in the world. And today's text teaches us the secret to being able to rejoice in the midst of many tribulations as Christians.
1. Tribulation produces perseverance
Ordinary people tend to become discouraged, resentful, and negative when faced with tribulation or problems. However, we Christians do not need to feel discouraged or resentful, no matter how big problems come. Because the people of the world say, ‘Even if the sky falls, there is a hole through which it will spring up.
God sent Jesus Christ to this earth to save all mankind when they were groaning in tribulation and suffering, and Jesus also willingly suffered on the cross for the suffering mankind. In other words, because Jesus bears the many sorrows and sufferings that we must endure on our behalf, all who have come into Jesus Christ do not need to suffer and suffer from these pains and sorrows any longer.
Therefore, if we pray in the name of Jesus when we are faced with various problems such as diseases, material problems, and family problems, God promises to heal us, give us material, and solve the problems we face.
Regarding this, the Bible says: 'He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not with him also gift us all things?' (Romans 8:32) Therefore you must say, 'Ask, seek, and knock; If you grow up and know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11).
However, believing in such promises, we cling to God, pray earnestly, and sometimes receive God's answers, but for some reason, there are people who are puzzled by the conflict of faith because the tribulation and problems that we are facing do not disappear or be resolved immediately. The answer to this is in today's text. In other words, God can solve tribulation and problems right away, but in that case, God's children are not properly trained and they are afraid that it will cause bad results.
In other words, God wants us to give us the precious training of patience through tribulation. But think about it. If everything goes according to my will, wouldn't it be impossible to learn patience there?
In my case, the time when I learned patience was still the most difficult time of my life, in the military. And I think I'm learning patience once again while doing the immigrant ministry here. In other words, the fruit of patience is a treasure that can be obtained through tribulations and various problems. In other words, without tribulation and problems, the treasure of patience cannot be obtained.
At that time, patience was the highest praised virtue in Jewish society, to the extent that it was called the ‘Queen of all virtues’. Patience is essential to overcome the world, and God promises complete blessings to the saints who have achieved endurance.
Regarding this, the Bible says: 'Persevere to perfection, so that ye may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing' (James 1:3) 'Behold, we call them blessed who persevere. about 5:11)
Dear saints, I pray that you will never doubt God's love even in the midst of tribulation, and that you will receive better blessings by being patient and persevering to the end.
2. Patience builds refinement
Just as metal mixed with various impurities goes into a furnace and all the dregs are burnt away, we can also throw away our faulty dispositions and bad habits through tribulation. However, there are those who pray a lot during tribulation and have good patience, but often do not try to remove the impurities from their hearts. In other words, the reason God causes the saints to undergo tribulation is not only for patience, but also for the purpose of refinement to remove impurities.
For Moses, who had been living peacefully in the palace of Egypt for 40 years, the 40 years of living in the wilderness was clearly a tribulation and a great ordeal. But he learned something more than patience there. It was none other than a process of refinement in which various impurities of one's own were removed. He learned faithfulness and gentleness while tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, in the wilderness for 40 years. Then God called Moses when he was 80 years old, and Moses was finally able to be used as a great servant of God who saved the Israelites.
See also a man named Joseph. At the age of 17, he was trafficked by half-brothers and sold into slavery. And he was framed for unfairness and was sentenced to three years in prison. However, he learned patience through the tribulation of those 13 years and went through the process of refinement to be used as a great man of God in the future. Then God used him as the prime minister of Egypt, a superpower at that time, and was able to be used as a great servant of God who saved not only his own family but also many people from famine.
Therefore, we pray that when tribulation approaches, we will be able to persevere well, and through the tribulation, we will be better equipped as God's people and be used preciously by God.
3. Podium fulfills hope
Those who learn patience through tribulation, undergo refinement and pass God's test, will eventually enter the stage of brilliant hope that God has promised. In other words, the beautiful flower of hope does not bloom in a greenhouse, but rather blooms in the harsh rains and winds of patience and rosary.
In this regard, King David confesses: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, so that I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71) “We have passed through fire and water, and You have brought up the stomach and brought it into a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:12).
Just as a child hits a top on an ice sheet, the faster it spins, the faster tribulation comes, the sooner we can imitate the Lord's character, and through this, we can receive the Lord's boundless grace and blessings.
Everyone! When you live your life in your 70s and 80s, where can you find a life without tribulation? But before I believed in Jesus, when tribulation approached, I was gripped with discouragement and despair. And tribulation was just a tool of the devil to destroy me, but now it is not.
Rather, tribulation is a beautician who makes me more beautiful and a messenger who brings me the news of a more brilliant hope in the future. Therefore, when tribulation and troubles come, the Bible says: ‘Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials. for you know that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2).
'You cannot but be grieved for a little while because of various trials, but on the contrary, we rejoice greatly, that the trial of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tried by fire, may be found to praise, glory, and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ. ' (1 Peter 1:5-7)
Therefore, when tribulation approaches, we do not only grieve and become discouraged, but rather, through the tribulation, we will achieve patience and refinement so that tomorrow's flowers of hope will bloom brilliantly.