“As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away”. Matthew 13:20-21
The western church today has become plagued with prosperity eg. ‘live your best life now’, ‘God wants you rich’ etc. We have majored too much on having all the blessings when the reality is often living with adversity.
No-one likes to suffer hardship and difficult times, but when they come our way, many of us don’t know what to do, how to respond or where to turn. In the parable quoted above, Jesus taught about four types of soils, representing the state of our hearts, and in particular quoted here, that many will fall away and turn their back on God when trials arise.
We all deal with difficulties differently. We ourselves have suffered enormously following our son’s accident and continue to do so day to day. However, we must equip ourselves to not only accept and receive God’s blessings and goodness during these times but to use them to enable us to handle adversity, suffering and persecution when it comes along.
I was struck by a term I heard recently ‘Spiritual ambidexterity’. To be ambidextrous means that we are able to use both right and left in balance with no difficulty at all.
The question for us all is, can we manage prosperity and adversity as equally well? The majority of us, of course, would say that it is easier and more comfortable to live in the blessings rather than the adversity. Whilst that may be true, I believe God wants to use both and to go a step further that God actually brings more growth into our lives through the sufferings.
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Romans 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us”
For me personally, I have had to ask God to deal with the soil of my heart over recent months. Having been a follower of Jesus for over 30 years my roots are deep and it is that depth that has helped me to endure. But in spite of that my heart can still become very hard and twisted though the pain of suffering if I’m not careful.
God is teaching me very slowly because He is patient with me, that He wants to shape me and my family through this very tough episode in our lives.
God gives us His strength in these difficult seasons, because He doesn’t just want us to endure for a while, as in the parable, but He wants us to endure until the end. Can we do this in our own strength? Certainly not. We need His strength and the word of God that encourages us ‘to make every effort’. That effort may be very minimal. You may in your suffering feel that you have nothing to give, I’ve certainly felt like that. God still meets us even when we’re rock bottom. What God is looking for is a heart that is open for Him to work in both the good and the bad.
When the book of my life is laid before God there will be chapters that are full of joy and blessing and fulfilment. There will probably be more chapters that are full of regret, disappointment, suffering, and pain, but through it all I pray that I will hear those amazing words from the lips of Jesus. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’’
Matthew 25:23
Prayer - Dear Lord, would You please help every one of us to know that You work in our lives through the good times and the bad. Help us Lord, to be able to cope better and praise You in both times and to trust You in all things. Give us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Amen
O we do live such comfortable Christian lives in the West, yet our Lord told us to take up our cross and follow Him! We find Him in the midst of the trials and tribulations and, in finding Him, we get to know him so much better. And, as you rightly say, keeping both the trials and the joys in balance is so important, as well as keeping on to the end. As Scripture says, "He that endures to the end will be saved." Bless you for this posting.
Amen.
Encouraging & timely