Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)
22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,
not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in
every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the
race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying
to the gospel of God's grace.
How often have you asked the following
question, "God, please show me where you want me to go and what you want
me to do?" I know many who have asked this question thinking that God's
will would be something that would be a perfect fit. They thought if they could
only find the will of God then everything would be ok.
Consider how this thinking may have been
received by the apostle Paul. A perfect fit, what are you talking about?
Everything ok, not on your life. No, if you find the will of God it will most
probably be in the way of hardships and difficulties and imprisonments. The
church in America is far too weak to even think that they would have to endure
hardships and sufferings and afflictions. We have even invented an escapist
mentality called the rapture to keep us from having to endure anything that
would approach suffering.
We have made the Christian faith far too
palatable to our easy lifestyles. Perhaps this is why we are so weak in our own
spiritual lives. We have assumed the Christian life was about us feeling good,
not obeying God.
We need a little more dose of Biblical
reality injected into our lives. God has designed us for far more difficult
tasks, but we are not in the shape we need to be in order to endure the
hardships he has ordained for us.
Why did God call Paul to endure hardships?
Because he had a marathon to run for the glory of God. He was going to reach as
far as Rome and Spain with the gospel before he would die and he needed to be
in top spiritual shape for that task.
Church, God has the same task for you, you
are commissioned by God to declare his glories to the farthest reaches of the
planet through prayer and proclamation, so expect hardships and difficulties to
come your way for they are the means that God will use to strengthen you for
the battle that lies ahead.
Be reminded that the Will of God lies on the
road that leads to many hardships and difficulties and imprisonments. As you
follow God in this way you will come to know as David knew, "Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art
with me."
May you come to know the presence of God as
you follow him into hardships and trials.
Embracing the road of difficulty for the sake
of hte4 Gospel,
Pastor Phil