Heb 10:32 But recall the former days when, after you
were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,
Heb 10:33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach
and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.
Heb 10:34 For you had compassion on those in prison,
and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that
you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
Heb 10:35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence,
which has a great reward.
Heb 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when
you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Last Sunday I was speaking on being steadfast as
Christians. Part of this is to remain
faithful while under testings and afflictions.
In the above passage these Christians exemplified steadfastness by
willingly identifying with Christ and even when it brought persecution, they didn’t
run or compromise but they remained faithful.
In that case the government came in and took everything they had away
but it didn’t change their course. In
fact, the word that sticks out is in vs. 34 where they accepted the plundering
of their property “joyfully”. And they
were able to do this because they had a firm faith in the revealed truth that
their Lord would more than make up for it, not in this life, but in the one to
come.
Perhaps when we think of patience in suffering we tend to
apply it to the big things like overt persecution or some big sickness or
crisis and it is certainly important for us to be able to stand firm in such
times. But I fear that often when we
hear a message on steadfastness and patience we forget that it applies the
moment we get home from church and we face the everyday “trials” of life. By that I mean the daily disappointments, the
family squabbles, the nagging boss and just the routines of life.
There is another time of life in which we need to be
prepared and have our theology straight and our relationship with the Lord
close and that is what we term the “mid-life crisis". What goes through our mind when we reach a
point in life when we realize that our life isn’t going to turn out the way we
planned; or when we realize that our spouse isn’t going to live up to whatever
ideals we had? Often people fall into
some serious sinful patterns because they haven’t learned to live for the right
reasons. At the heart of such mid-life
crises is a heart that has made life all about what I want and not what God
wants.
If I have my life planned out and things and people around
me don’t live up to my expectations then how can I be happy and content and I certainly
can’t joyfully accept the plundering of my life if God so wills. We will never be like those saints in Hebrews
11 if our life centers on our will and plans and happiness alone.
As I was preparing last week’s message I wondered if anyone
ever had any kind of crisis in their life because they realized that they weren’t
going to live up to their spouse’s ideals and needs. I certainly have never heard of a husband
admitting that he woke up one morning in a panic because life was passing him
by and he felt he was failing to meet his wife’s needs; usually just the
opposite; she isn’t meeting my needs. No,
it is always based on what we want and what we think we need, etc. I have to admit that I am prone to view the
value and success of my life based on what I am experiencing more than what my
wife is experiencing and have had to admit a “mini crisis” this week as I
realize just how sinful my heart still is.
It just shows why we find it difficult to hold up when things don’t go
our way; because we only are concerned for our way and not what honors Christ
and certainly not our neighbors and family’s good.
At the heart of all this is that we can never be content in
life if our life is never more than ourselves.
We reduce life to our little world and with nothing greater to live for
how on earth can we endure? If my goal
is to serve well in the kingdom then if I have much or little isn’t nearly as
important as what I do with what God gives me.
This is what 1 Timothy 6 is getting at; 1Ti 6:6 But godliness with
contentment is great gain, 1Ti 6:7 for
we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the
world. 1Ti 6:8 But if we have food and
clothing, with these we will be content. 1Ti 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into
temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge
people into ruin and destruction.
One of the snares he is referring to is being unable to deal with our
life because we have pursued things that we can never keep very long.
But it is also knowing that Christ has put you in the spot
you are in so that you can show others that having Christ is enough and in so
doing reap eternal reward. If we miss
this; that we must be steadfast in the little things; then we will excuse our
bad temper and ill-treatment of our loved ones.
If we think trials are only the big things and don’t realize that most
of our trials are the everyday pain, disappointments, dealing with the ungodly
pride in our life when those around us don’t bow to our every whim, then we
will be defeated before we even get started.
We can please our Lord every day hundreds of times by placing our hope
in him and being full of joy because our best days are ahead of us.
Not only would I like to see more mid-life crises about how
we have or haven’t served others but it is always good to periodically take
stock as to whether we are amounting to anything in the Kingdom of God. And we don’t have to assume that we must be
doing big, public, far-reaching things to be pleasing the Lord. I love Matthew 25’s view of the judgment
because the ones who were going to enjoy eternity with the Lord were those who
just went about helping others when they could.
They made life about loving as they had been loved. Mat
25:34 Then the King will say to those on
his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Mat 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, Mat
25:36 I was naked and you clothed me, I
was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Mat
25:37 Then the righteous will answer
him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you drink? Mat 25:38 And when did
we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? Mat 25:39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and
visit you?' Mat 25:40 And the King will
answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these
my brothers, you did it to me.'
We won’t be judged on whether every desire and success we
planned for ourselves was fulfilled or not but whether we served well in the
Kingdom of God. If we are going to have a
mid-life crisis let’s at least have the right goals in life.
