December 9, 2020 – Click here to listen
So this morning I have an appointment with a spine surgeon. I dislike the thought of going through another painful back surgery and the long recovery, but the pain from my deteriorating discs putting pressure on my sciatic nerve has reached the point whereby something must be done.
As I was thinking about this it reminded me of life. We’ve all heard of the expression, “No pain no gain.” This usually refers to the pain of working out and enduring the sore muscles and fatigue, in order to receive the gain of being stronger, healthier, and full of energy.
There are many examples of this phenomenon of going through pain in order to achieve gain. Most noteworthy in my mind is the crucifixion of Christ whereby He endured the pain of the cross and death in order that we might live and follow Him in resurrection. No gain greater than that I tell you.
2020 has been a year of suffering. Ensuing years, barring a mighty miracle of God, don’t seem to offer much hope for being better at this point. Well I’m not going to go to crawl into bed in a fit of depression and cry all day about it. I don’t look forward to the pain of my back surgery and recovery, but I do look forward to the relief it will eventually bring. I view our situation in this nation in similar fashion. Did you ever consider that all of the pain and suffering that looms ahead of us like an approaching hurricane is necessary for revival? If this is not Rapture related, then I have to assume God is preparing us for revival and many lost souls coming to God.
As I continue my studies of the Old Testament, I see an evil King like Ahaz that does every form of perverted evil in the sight of God and as a result the entire nation suffers as they emulate him and his dark sins. Invariably when he dies, he is replaced by a God-fearing king who leads the nation to revival and the nation is blessed. In every case the people rejoiced when evil was replaced by goodness and God blessed them for their faithfulness.
To understand the nature of faith we must dispel the notion that faith is the guarantee of a pain-free present; instead of what it is: A confident focus on the future gains that come after the pain. Setting your eyes over the horizon and setting your eyes on the goal that remains out of sight to the unseen can only be achieved through faith. Faith takes the long term view, not a snapshot. It looks past today, or next week, or even next year. And looks to the next life. The real long-term view sees God’s eternal plan as the important thing. So no matter which way it goes keep looking forward and keep the faith.
So we have something to look forward to eh? Don’t lose faith and don’t forsake hope, because after the pain, God will usher in gain. In summary: No pains No gains – No cross, No crown . . .
2 Timothy 2:11
. . . If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.