Often it is easy to convince ourselves that this life is wonderful because things are going well for us. We landed the job we wanted. We’re blessed with a wonderful marriage or dating relationship. Everything seems to be going our way. Like the famous brand wants to remind us, “Life is good.”
Except when it’s not. Last week, in just seven days, I attended the funeral of the father of an alumna of our ministry who had unexpectedly died, received news of a student’s mom being diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, and learned of a teenage son of friends having a rare form of cancer. For them, life is not so good right now.
Add to that the increasing political turmoil in our country; the suffering of people in Aleppo, Syria; the hunger crisis building in Nigeria; the North Koreans’ ever-increasing nuclear threat; and, closer to home, the severe flooding across the eastern part of North Carolina; and one is quickly brought back to the reality this world is full of trouble, whether we are experiencing it directly at this particular moment or not. Trouble will eventually come upon us; it’s just a matter of time.
The question we have to ask ourselves is, are we prepared for it? Because trouble almost always comes unannounced, it’s too late to get ready after it arrives. In this simple declarative statement to His disciples, Jesus warns trouble is coming. Suffering, persecution, and death. Accompanying them will be tremendous stress and anxiety. In essence, Jesus is asking them if they are ready for what they are about to encounter. He knew they were not.
So He gives them this encouragement through another declarative statement: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” It took them awhile, but through the power of the Holy Spirit and an all-out commitment of faith that what Jesus said about Himself was true, they indeed were overcomers. Trouble visited them often, but their faith stood the test.
In a world of chaos and suffering, it is tempting to pretend we will be exempt from trouble, or we can distract ourselves from the looming difficulties we will experience, but the truth is in this fallen world, we will have trouble. So the question is, are we preparing ourselves for it? Are we drawing closer to Jesus? Are we reading His Word and putting it into practice in our lives? Are we spending time in prayer? Or are we just going through the motions of being a Christian, without there being any real substance or commitment?
Today, know the only way to overcome the troubles you inevitably will face in this life is to submit fully to the One who has overcome the world. And as I mentioned above about the events of last week, troubles come upon us suddenly and without warning. Now is the time to start making your preparations.
© Jim Musser 2016
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