OHHHHHHH PASTOR!

Thought for the day: In what do we greatly rejoice? Well, look at the verses just before the two we’ve just read. We have a living hope produced by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have an inheritance, reserved for us in heaven, incorruptible and guaranteed never to fade away. That inheritance is kept for us by the very power of God. We know this, we believe this, and yet we complain because of the trials we are called upon to face from time to time.

"Don't complain and talk about all your problems. 80 percent of the people don't care, and the other 20 percent will think you deserve them." So says Mark Twain, and I think he may have a point. Now don't get me wrong, I know we all suffer from various maladies and face often difficult challenges in life; it's the nature of the beast. Some of the things we face are truly mountainous and we probably aren't unreasonable in wondering from time to time, especially when they first rear their ugly heads, where the strength is going to come from for us to meet those challenges. I would never try to minimize the struggles we each face as part of our daily lives, or to dismiss them as if they have no meaning. In fact, I believe every single thing that happens to us has eternal meaning. At the same time, it seems to me we have way too many in the family of God (too often including ourselves) who either think theirs is the greatest difficulty ever confronted on the planet or who have somehow gotten the idea that God is able to solve every problem except theirs. And so we whine. Oh, do we whine! Some have perfected the ability to complain and whine almost to an art form.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh pastor (to be done properly the "Oh" must be long and drawn out. The longer the "oh" the more serious the complaint.) "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh pastor, you just can't imagine what I'm going through. Ohhhhhhhhhh, pastor (if the "oh" is repeated the complaint is just that much more serious!), I want you to take a look at my left hand. Go ahead; I know it's a horrible thing to look at but you just look at that hand. Do you see it?"

"I have to admit, I don't see the problem with your hand."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh pastor, can't you see it? Can't you see right there on my little pinkie finger, that awful hangnail? Why, it's been giving me fits ever since it showed up there. Last night it kept me up half the night; I was so worried about catching that hangnail on the bedsheets and ripping it back until it bleeds. Ohhhhhhh pastor, do you suppose it's terminal? Do you think you could pray over my hangnail and perhaps the good Lord would relieve me from this terrible burden?”

Listen friends, we’ve got about 70 years or so on this earth. Some of us might make it to 80 and still others may well be condemned to live even longer than that. The point is this; no matter how much time we may have left on this earth, there will be trouble of some kind associated with it. Get used to it. Life's not fair. But if we're Christians today the Lord has given us a living hope because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because he was the first to conquer death and has provided eternal life for us, the "light afflictions" we face today are nothing compared to eternity with him. He has provided an inheritance for us that no amount of physical suffering can put a dent in, let alone take away. We have a reservation and no one can take our room from us. All we have to do is show up to claim it when the time comes. And all we are facing in this world is meant only to prepare us for heaven, not to harm us or punish us while we're here. All we may have to endure in this life is meant to glorify and honor and praise the One who has provided that life for us.

So rejoice today! There's nothing more confusing to a sin-sick world than an always-rejoicing, never-complaining, joy-sharing, God-honoring Christian. And there's nothing more attractive either.

Now go take on your world. - Bill