By: Steve Wilmot
Edgerton, Ohio
Frustration is a common feeling among Christians. We realize a Christian is supposed to live like Jesus did. We have our own list of what that means — go to church, read the Bible, pray, give, serve, stop sinning, etc.
So, we roll up our sleeves and try our hardest to check off our list that we think will help equip us to live like Jesus. When that fails, we look for how-to books to see what we missed before and redouble our efforts.
And you know what? Of course you do. You’ve done that yourself. You get frustrated and ready to give up because you just can’t do, try as you might.
Maybe our frustration is rooted in getting the cart before the horse, so to speak. We put doing before knowing.
What we need is a solid foundation to build on. There are things we need to know and believe before we can consistently do. That’s why nearly every letter Paul wrote starts with doctrine.
Until we know the truth about God, about ourselves, about sin and about salvation, we will forever flounder to live like Paul writes about in the latter chapters of his letters.
What you know is the springboard to living like God wants you to. Let me offer an example. When difficult times come, what you know will influence how you respond to those challenges. It will determine how stressed or worried or afraid you become, and whether you endure them with hope and faith.
In Romans, Paul wrote, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Do you know that? If you do, do you believe it? Think about what you’re dealing with right now. Marriage crumbling. Bills piling up. Health deteriorating. Future bleak. Grief. Stuck with the same addictions you’ve tried to beat for years. Unemployment. Alone and abandoned.
Hard things for sure. But amid them, do you know God will work for your good even through these very things that are draining your energy and keeping you awake at night?
Do you know, or do you just cross your fingers and hope? How did Paul know? Was it just positive thinking on his part? No.
Paul knew because he had a track record with God. In everything he suffered, God always worked it out for Paul’s good.
I urge you to carve out a few minutes in your present troubles and think back to previous difficult times. I believe you’ll see how God used the adversity to produce something good.
You’re in a better place now than you were before. You’ve met people who have become lifelong friends. You know how to encourage and comfort others who are going through what you did.
Your character has been molded and shaped to reflect Jesus’ character more than it was before your trials. You’ve learned that God is who he says he is and he does what he says he will do.
And because of these amazing results that came out of your hardships, you’ve fallen more in love with Jesus and trust him in a way that was mostly theoretical before. Now you trust him and look at life with new eyes because you experienced it yourself.
That only happens based on what you know and concentrate on in the middle of your pain: God will work this out for your good. You will be better on the flip side than you were before your misery.
Once you know this truth, your bad times won’t be quite so bad. You’ll begin to anticipate the good God is going to bring. You’ll respond to people who hurt you with love and forgiveness because they are not the enemy — they are instruments in the hand of God to bring about something good he’s planned for you.
I pray your perspective on your problems has changed by reading these few words. I pray you begin to have an unwavering confidence that God is in control and good things are on the horizon.
May you search to know and believe the truth before you try to live it.
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Steve Wilmot is a former Edgerton, Ohio area pastor who now seeks “to still bear fruit in old age” through writing. He is the author of seven books designed to assist believers to make steady progress on their spiritual journey.