What Trips A Christian Up?

In Mark 4:14-20, Jesus likened the good news of salvation to seeds planted by a farmer.

"The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.
The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.

The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"

I wanted to write about the things that can keep us from God so we can be aware of them when they happen:

1. Problems/Troubles.

2. Persecution.

3. Worries.

4. Lure of money.

5. Desires for other things.

Everyone in the world is tempted by these things. When we are going through hard times, we wonder what God is up to and why we have to suffer. Why does he let these things happen to us? 

When we are worried about paying the rent or buying food, we can be tempted to get mad at God for allowing such a thing to happen to us. 

When we see other people with good jobs, nice cars and beautiful homes we wonder why we can't have those things. What have we done to deserve poverty?

We are all tempted to love other things more than God. We may love something innocent, like playing baseball. But if we give most of our attention to baseball or shopping or work, then we are worshiping it. We have made it our idol. If something fills our thoughts all day or as soon as we are off work, then it could possibly be an idol we put above God.

I must admit my own failures. I have failed the most in going through troubles. I have been angry and rebellious towards God many, many times. I didn't see why anyone, especially my daughters or me should have to suffer so much. But God never gave up on me. He moved on my heart to study this problem in the Bible and other Christian writers. I finally realized I was not understanding God or suffering. 

Desires for other things has sometimes tripped me up. I think I have desired for too much in this life instead of being completely content with my life. I am coming to terms with these desires through Jesus' strength and wisdom.

What all these sins represent is not trusting God. We don't trust he has enough comfort for us. We don't trust he will help us when we need money. We don't trust that we will be happy with a simple life. We think he is a spoil-sport. But he is far from that. What we don't see is that he will comfort us in every trouble and help us in all our ways. They may not be the ways we think we want, but when we look back over the years of our lives we will see that if we had seen as He sees, we would have chosen the same path he chose for us.

Psalm 44 - Why Have You Left Us?

Psalm 44 by the Sons of Korah - What it means to me.

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.

I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;

you covered us over with deep darkness.  
Verses 13-19

Commentators don't agree on when this Psalm was written. Some say it could have been during the time of Eli the priest. Most agree it is not speaking of the deportation to Babylon. Some say it was during David's reign. They all agree it was written during a time of persecution towards Israel and that God had allowed their enemies to triumph over them.

This Psalm brings up the question of why God allows his children to suffer persecution when they have been following God and not doing any great wrong. Of course, this happened in the early church when there arose persecution, first from the Jews and then by the Roman Empire.

I just read about a woman who was in an F4 tornado. She had been a Christian since she was ten and loved the Lord. During the tornado, her baby was torn from her arms and was killed. She was angry at God at first. She could not understand why this happened to her. But, eventually she accepted what happened and turned to God for comfort which he gave to her.

God has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 We may feel he has left us but that is not true. He is there right beside us always. We may never understand our suffering in this world but will know why it happened later when we are in heaven. Suffering does make us more compassionate. We can then understand those who have suffered and comfort them. Suffering comes to every human being; it only differs when and how. God will give us strength to bear it.

But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!"  Matthew 14:27

"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:20

The Persecuted.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of God is theirs." Matt. 5:10

This is where God's mind and the human mind are vastly different. Would we say someone is blessed for being persecuted? No, we would probably say, "Oh, how terrible for them."

Good people of God have been persecuted since the son of Adam was murdered. His brother Cain killed him, "And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous." 1John 3:12

If we look at Cain and Abel, Jesus says that Abel was blessed (fortunate). I can see why this would be so. Which person in the story would you rather be?

The Romans killed the Christians in the arenas. The Catholics and Protestants killed each other in the dark ages. The Nazis killed Jews and Christians. Even today people kill in the name of God. And just as God did not save Abel's life, so he did not save millions of people through the ages.

Jesus went on to say, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

I have to say I've had trouble understanding how a person could feel happy when persecuted. I honestly don't think Jesus felt happy the day of his death. So joy and gladness have to be more than feelings. I looked up the Greek and found a few translations of these words that make the above verse understandable for me.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad - Regard it as a great privilege thus to be persecuted and to suffer - a thing not to be mourned over, but as among the chief blessings of life. 
http://bible.cc/matthew/5-12.htm

5463 xaírō (from the root xar-, "favorably disposed, leaning towards" and cognate with 5485 /xáris, "grace") – properly, to delight in God's grace ("rejoice") – literally, to experience God's grace (favor), be conscious (glad) for His grace. 
http://concordances.org/greek/5463.htm

Speaking of Jesus, Paul says, "...for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinful men; so you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:2

To remember what Jesus went through, to look toward heaven and to have the mind of God in order to see how he sees; that is what is needed to have joy (regard it as a privilege) in persecution.

Paul

I was reading II Corinthians yesterday and it hit me how much Paul had suffered for preaching the gospel. Some preachers tell us God will bless our lives with money and other comforts is we ask him. Compare that to what Paul went through.

"Five times I received 39 lashes, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." These are some of Paul's words taken from Chapter 11.

Paul said he also had a "thorn in the flesh" that he asked God three times to remove. But God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." I take this to mean God can use our weaknesses to show forth his power.

If we think God will protect us from all trouble, we are mistaken. But, he will be with us in that trouble. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 I love that verse. In tribulation - look at what Jesus did and know he is with you. "Behold, I am with you until the end of the world." Matthew 28:20