Hello, John and Doves,
A reprise of a very good letter [if I may say so myself]:
Michael Colunga (13 July 2014)
"To Randy: Why do we struggle?"
Hello, John and Doves,
Why do we struggle?
Well, let us back up to what we know.
It is written,
And
I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the
world--from east and west--and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 8:11 NLT
As such, we claim Abraham as our Spiritual Father.
As it is written,
Circumcision
was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already
accepted him and declared him to be righteous--even before he was
circumcised. So
Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not
been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.
Romans 4:11 NLT
Indeed, we are grafted into the roots of Israel, so that we also claim Isaac and Jacob as our Spiritual Forefathers.
Is it any stretch, then, that we suffer with Israel?
Like
his father, Abraham, Isaac was a wanderer, living in tents. Jacob also
lived in tents and died in Egypt. Although Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
retained the promises of God and were able to pass this inheritance on
to the next generation, they themselves did not receive the promise.
It is written,
13All
these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did
not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and
welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:13-16 NLT
God is not ashamed of those who trust in Him, for He is trustworthy.
It is written,
5Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.
Interlude
9Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
11God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
Psalm 62:9-12 NLT
Again, it is written,
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Proverbs 13:22 ESV
So, then, why do we struggle?
It is written,
And
since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with
Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we
must also share his suffering.
Romans 8:17 NLT
Is God some cosmic meanie, that He wishes us to suffer with Him? Didn’t He pay the full price for our sins?
Yes, He paid the full price for our sins, but we partner with God, by way of obedience, to effect our maturity in Christ.
It is written,
Jesus, the Man
5And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6For in one place the Scriptures say,
“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,
or a son of man that you should care for him?
7Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
8You gave them authority over all things.”
Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 9What
we do see is Jesus, who was given a position “a little lower than the
angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with
glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And
it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a
perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
11So
now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why
Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12For he said to God,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.”
13He also said,
“I will put my trust in him,”
that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
14Because
God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also
became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only
by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
16We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters,
so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.
Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the
people. 18Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
Hebrews 2:5-18 NLT
Again, it is written,
Christ Is Our High Priest
14So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16So
let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will
receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it
most.
Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
And here, then, is the ultimate payoff:
26And
the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know
what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with
groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Romans 8:26-30 NLT
Finally, it is written,
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No
power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all
creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is
revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NLT
~Blessings,
Mike