The Bible today tells us about not just everything, but everything that we need. You may have everything but it is not what you need. If you have everything of what you do not need, you are as good as those who lack what they need. Everything is only important if it is comprised of what we need. We have everything we need!
Have you ever heard the lie that God doesn’t care about Religion because He cares only about the heart and/or spirituality? Have you ever heard the ignorant notion that Religion is of human origin? Have you ever heard the misinformed declaring that true believers should have nothing to do with Religion? Yet the Bible tells us today that there is a religion that God loves and approves of. God loves this particular Religion!
What situation are you in today? Do not fall in that direction, shift weight to the opposite side and find a balance. Are you happy? Find a balance. Are you sad? Find a balance. Avoid extreme settlements because that is where you fail. Find a balance. Life is walking on a tight rope. Life is about finding a true balance!
Problems push others into extreme irrational religious practices hoping to woo God in their favor. Problems cause others to engage in religious prostitution as they seek help from other faiths, religions, gods, and whoever promises help. Problems shape us positively or negatively. Apostle James tells us that we should look at problems differently!
Avoid childish ultimatums like, “even if my life depended on that person I would rather die than forgive them.” Avoid statements like, “we will only work together over my dead body.” Do not let today’s temporary anger cause you to make regrettable commitments of the future you do not know. Bear the pain and let it in time pass. Truly forgive as the Bible suggests. Forgiving them doesn’t mean they will evade punishment. Forgive them sets you free from carrying that issue in your heart. Forgiving them restores your relationship. Forgiving them will make the currently useless to be useful when they meet Jesus. Forgive and move on. It is difficult but nothing is impossible with God. Useless can become useful!
Paul tells the Thessalonians that their faith has grown. Paul and company are very happy to report that the faith of the church of the Thessalonians has grown. Did they have land? We don’t know. Did they have cathedrals and a state-of-the-art Public Address System? We don’t know. What we know is that their faith was growing. How much money were they collecting every time they came to worship? We don’t know. What we know and what matters is that their faith was growing. Our present-day congregations are the opposite. We know their land, their buildings, their technology gadgets and facilities, and even what they collect during worship, but we know nothing about their faith growth.
You came in knowing only one Bible story and half a teaching of the church and that is okay. But it is not okay to continue staying at that level of ignorance, there is a need to grow. You knew nothing about church structure and leadership and that was okay at that time but not several years later since you came into the church. You need to grow!
This is not a call for us to go and provoke people and situations to bring us suffering so that we claim to be really expressing love and commitment. This is suffering that is inevitable and not invited suffering. It is foolish to invite suffering. Not all love is worth suffering for. Teenage love affairs are not the stuff worth suffering for. Dating and courtship love affairs are not worth suffering for. If you suffer before marriage you will suffer excessively in marriage. Do not suffer, instead, you should quit that affair with immediate effect. Suffering in marriage as a victim of domestic violence is not the stuff being promoted here. Domestic violence is destructive to the victim and even fatal, in the name of Jesus, do not suffer, run out of that trap, run for your life. Not all suffering should be condoned and commended.
Bad employers and bosses intimidate workers. Business competitors intimidate others out of business. Bad marriages and relationships that are abusive are based on intimidation. Bad religions and faith keep people in by intimidation. It is not God’s will that any one of us should live in fear. Even God does not intimidate us, who else should? Do not be intimidated!