Run the race to win

Godly ambition

Our life is a journey. In a well-lived life, there is a sense of progression; moving from one thing to the next. There is visible personal growth and the deepening of character. But the extent to which we grow is (or indeed whether we grow at all) is up to us. What will our attitude be? Consider that the journey is in fact a race.

Spectator, athlete or champion

Will we be spectators content to watch the race run?

James 1: 23-25

23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

That is, to look but not do does not lead to a blessing. To be a spectator and not a runner is to miss out on the blessing that God has for us.

Will we run the race?

Hebrews 12: 1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Here we are called to run the race but there is a higher calling; are we training to win the race?

1 Corinthians 9:23-25

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

So here are the choices: 1. Watch the race run 2. Run the race 3. Run the race to win.

This is not a comment on salvation or even a comment on God's expectations but rather a challenge to rise above mediocrity.

Passive, active or ambitious

If we translate this idea into a practical every day context we can easily identify three types of people that we might be or become.

1. Those that have passive interest in their faith. They tick the Christian box on the national census, see Jesus as beyond reproach and attend Church at Christmas and Easter. They tend to be cynical about the experiential side of Christianity but they hold a lot of credence for the institution. These are the spectators.

2. Those that actively participate in their faith by attending church, getting involved in church programs, praying when the need arises and living a bible-based value-centred life with no major indiscretions. They are right on the edge of the bigger-picture, sensing that there must be more; always wanting more but never quite satisfied. They are cheerful givers often responding to a call donations for this program or that but they never really initiate anything. They are good people, everyone likes them … they fill up our churches. They're often plump by middle-age. These are in the race which they see as a kind of fun-run.

3. Those who are ambitious in the faith. They initiate, take risks, always seem youthful and have vision. They're always initiating and inspiring. They talk the big-picture and conversation with them is rarely dull. When you meet them you can sense their energy and feel energized by it. They have an edge and are often controversial. They are have no qualms about challenging the status quo and seem to march to the beat of their own drum. They are optimistic and hold hope tightly. They affect everyone around them without really noticing. They are the informal leader and they run the race to win.

So here are your faith choices; you can be: passive, active or ambitious.

Which one do you aspire to be?

William Wilberforce

Seeing the film "amazing grace" challenged me to read up on the extraordinary ambitiousness of William Wilberforce's faith.

He wasn't content to watch others engage in faith works. It wasn't enough for him to live a quite life of Godly devotion like many of his contemporaries. He took on the largest, richest and most powerful affront to the kingdom of God in his time and stood in faith against it for 45 years.

The audacity of his convictions attracted ridicule, disbelief and ultimately open hostility. He was maligned, cajoled and painted as unpatriotic but never-the-less held unswervingly to work to protect the interests in the most poor, powerless and pitied people imaginable…slaves. And in faith he succeeded dying 29 July 1833 only days before the parliamentary bill emancipating all slaves of the British Empire finally passed into law. Wilberforce changed the world.

Nehemiah

Consider the life of one of my personal heroes from the bible; Nehemiah.

The Book of Nehemiah was written between 445 and 420 B.C. Jerusalem has been sacked by the Persian empire and the Israelites carried off to slavery in Babylon (modern-day Iran).

Nehemiah is cup-bearer to the king, as Artaxerxes last defense to treachery he would have been a trustworthy man but also an expendable Jewish exile. Should he fall out of favour with the King his life would be forfeit so he has a dilemma: he is clearly moved to act in the interests of his people and the shame his nation endures while its ancient walls lay in ruins but should he plead for help he may very well forfeit his life.

How far would our faith take us if we were in Nehemiah's situation? Perhaps in this environment we'd assimilate into Persian culture giving only token regard to your Jewish roots (a passive faith/spectator)?

Or would we instead hold tightly to our personal faith and limit our reaction to "weeping and praying" about our people and their in-tatters national identity (an active faith/fun-runner)?

Or would we go the next step and take action (an ambitious faith/athlete)…

If you read on you will discover that Nehemiah laboured against great opposition for 12 years to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after which he obediently returned to Babylon to take up his original post.

So Nehemiah took the next step; his faith was not passive as would be a spectator and it was not just active expressing itself in purely personal terms like an athlete keeping his body fit. Nehemiah was ambitious planning and working for an outcome beyond his own interests; he ran the race to win.

Because of faith, God used a lowly bonded cupbearer to undertake a great kingdom work benefiting the lives of thousands and restoring the dignity and honour to the oppressed people of God. At the end of this adventure he humbly returned to the life he new before. But that wasn't all that God had in mind for Nehemiah…further reading advised.

Summary

So this is my thought/challenge:

It's so tempting to settle into a life-choice in which we don't think beyond our own interests. Family life and career quickly fill in all available time and before we know the most energetic and productive part of our lives is over. The major beneficiary of the bulk of our creative efforts are the businesses who have employed us and all that remains of this is a line or two on our resumes.

Let's be ambitious in the faith. Let's pioneer some great kingdom work. Let's think not only of our own interests but also of the interests of others. Let's let vision percolate inside of us. Make faith-risk-taking a lifestyle choice. Push out the envelope….think the big picture.

Unless we actively step up and make the tough choices, we will follow a hollow and faith-free pattern of decent living full of regret; always on the edge of being more but not quite getting there.

Here are your choices: Watch the race run vs. Run the race vs. Run the race to win.

I want to challenge us, and myself to be ambitious in the faith, to run the race to win!

Ask, Seek, Knock

Ask, Seek, Knock

Because of his boundless mercy, his generous grace and his unfailing love; God has made you promises that are sound and dependable. His nature is to keep his word and his power is such that his will will always be accomplished. We benefit from these promises not the least of which is that he will always hear us and respond when we reach out to him.

Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”

How few of us receive, how few of us find and to how few the door is opened. But the promises stand and will always stand – God is faithful.

Perhaps a better way of putting this is: how few of us ask, how few seek and how few knock. God wants desperately to be in right relationship with his creation; with you. We were built for right relationship with one another and with our creator but the whole of creation, including even the land that came to give forth thistles, was corrupted by our progenitors – the first man and woman – and we are born to a broken and fallen world. We need a saviour.

We’re all familiar with the story of Jesus, his life and actions resonate with us and many of us I expect have taken him at his word and come under his lordship. Should you have done so, you will have discovered the freedom that follows from the restoration of right relationship; that it, redemption. Jesus, the perfect man, and his supreme deliberate sacrifice removes from us the stain of sin and provides a path and means to be reconciled with our creator. This is the heart of the gospel – God’s intervention through his only son Jesus.

But to know this redemption; this salvation we must ask, seek, knock and should you do this - as God is always true to his promises - he will give, reveal and open the door. Just as Jesus promised is the passage in Matthew.

Those that don’t know to ask

Now, except for being told, how should we know whom to ask and indeed what to ask for?

John 4:7-15

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." “Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

So here we have simple woman who we learn later is far from perfect (…in fact you have many husbands) who stumbles across Jesus blindly confusing the practical and the spiritual; that is, Jesus for ordinary man and water for ordinary water.

Until Jesus points it out, she doesn’t recognise that she has a need so she hasn’t asked, sort or knocked; nor does she know of the living water of which she might drink and live forever. Jesus reveals himself to her and even then she has trouble seeing the truth.

Let’s not wait until we stumble across Jesus. And should he reveal himself to us as he did to the woman at the well, let us ask for the living water.

Let’s ask Jesus, seek the living water, knock so that the gates of paradise might be open to us.

Those afraid to ask

Then there are those who are afraid to ask. Remember that poor woman who was bleeding for 12 years? Remember her close encounter with Jesus and the miracle which followed?

Matthew 5: 24b-34

“A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

So here we have a woman who reached out to Jesus, pushing her fear aside just enough so that she might touch his cloak. And that was all it took for Jesus to heal and restore her. What the doctors were unable to do in 12 years and at great expense, Jesus did unconsciously in response to a woman’s fragile faith – see reached out and merely touched his cloak.

Are we afraid to reach out to Jesus? What, we might ask, if he find me unacceptable, un-redeemable, un-lovable. I have done many things I am not proud of and I have not done many things I should have.

But God makes us a promise; should we ask we will receive, should we seek we will find, should we knock and the door will be opened. All of this not because we a free of sin but because of his love, his mercy and his forgiveness.

You need not be afraid – Jesus is the great friend of mankind, our benefactor, our intercessor and advocate before God. He promises, and indeed has, taken on the consequences of our imperfections – it remains for us to receive the freely offered gift of salvation.

But - the story teaches us- even if you are afraid, should you reach our even in the smallest way Jesus will fully respond. If you ask you will receive – but only if you ask.

Those too proud to receive

Some are too proud to ask. Is this you? You belong to generation of survivors who lived through great hardship, poverty and war. Growing up in a prosperous and peaceful time prevents me from fully understanding the affect your experiences had but I do understand that many of you are predisposed to insist upon standing on your own feet, fighting your fight and never asking for help incase it might inconvenience another.

While this pride can be a strength in the face of great difficultly it can prevent you from receiving God’s free gift. We struggle to raise the spiritual funds to purchase what is offered for free never quite grasping that it is actually impossible to redeem ourselves through good works. We would be like the woman suffering from bleeding should she have chosen to continue using doctors rather than throwing herself at the feet of Jesus.

Pride and self-reliance can produce in us spiritual blindness preventing us from seeing and receiving what God has promised. Paul worked tirelessly to persuade people to turn and accept Jesus on one occasion rebuking those for whom pride prevents them accepting the truth:

Acts 28:25-28

25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26" 'Go to this people and say,
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
27For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'

28"Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"

Are you so self-reliant that you are unable to receive? Are you too proud to ask for help? Are you callused by life’s cruelty?

Unless you ask you will not receive, unless you seek you will not find, unless you knock the door will not be opened. But if you do these things you will receive, find and the door to eternal life will indeed be opened.

This is the promise of God and we can have great confidence in its integrity.

Don’t be like the woman by the well who failed to ask because she did not recognise her need for living water.

Don’t be like woman who bleed who was afraid to ask lest she be found unworthy.

Don’t be like those whose pride blinded their eyes and stopped up their ears when Paul reveled to them the truth that is the gospel of Christ.

Instead:

Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”

Hearsay is inadmissible for good reason

Hearsay is inadmissible for good reason

Most of us a supremely interested in self-preservation; it’s an instinct that runs animal deep. Once we feel mortally secure (roof over our head, food in our belly) our attention turns eternal. It is entirely natural to wonder about the great-beyond and whether there might be a way to reach it. And with this in mind religions spring up like weeds at the beginning of winter offering helpful (and sometime very strange) suggestions of how we might cross the river Styx which we intuitively sense ultimately awaits us (one way or another).

Believing the teachings of one or other of the great religions even if old or popular or backed up with a beautifully illustrated book is utterly inadequate – even if you believe fervently (with all of you heart, soul and mind) most religions agree you’ll fall desperately short.

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder (James 2:19)”.

It takes more than nailing your colours to the right mast. It takes more that accepting the right ideology. Who you choose to believe in is more important that what you choose to believe because the “who” makes credible the “what”. You need more than the right view of the eternal you need a path, a way and the means to reach it.

Proof of purchase

Founders of most of the world’s religions have conceived of some kind of afterlife without having the benefit of first inspecting it themselves.

The founder of what we now call Christianity claimed not only that he had been there but that he was from there and was soon returning (offering to take some of us along for the ride). There have been others who claimed similar things but failed to back it up as Jesus did with a substantial body of evidence, for e.g.:

1. Credible miracles witnessed by thousands, including the mass-manufacture of food (loaves & fishes) and quality booze (wedding feast), healing the un healable (lame to walk, blind to see, bleeding to coagulate), spiritual authority (legion and the pigs + ex-fortune telling girl), the raising of people from the dead (Lazarus) and control of weather (lake of Galilee).
2. Jesus’ unprecedented impact across the whole-world lasting 2,000 years achieved after a short three year public tour of roman-occupied Philistine harassed by the Jews and backed by no institutional authority, money, education, writings or good looks (The closest thing we get to a description of Jesus, and it’s prophetic only, is in Isaiah 53:2b, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” – That is, he was ordinary-looking.). His words and deeds alone transformed the whole world ever after.
3. The not so small act of rising from the dead himself after torture, crucifixion and entombment (guarded by soldier and bolder) followed up with an long-term in-person visit (Thomas puts his finger in Jesus’ side + Jesus eats with disciples on the beach) with many of his followers most of whom went on the proclaim his message even though they knew this would be met (and indeed was met) with terminal force resulting in a number of gruesome deaths.

In my mind these count for compelling arguments when I consider Jesus’ authority to speak on the important matter of salvation. So, consider carefully his claims - which are extraordinary to say the least - and you may, like me, be sufficiently persuaded to take him at his word which will change you life (guaranteed).

Freelance intercession

Freelance intercession

Intercession is the act of praying to God on behalf of another person.

I don’t think any of us have any problems with praying for things we want. It’s very natural to care exquisitely about our own small world interests. All you need is a little faith and a few wants and powerful motivations develop to nag God until he eventually relents. After all; even the unjust judge gave in to the widows supplications for no other reason than that she might not wear him out with her asking (Luke 18:1-8).

It’s also easy to understand the idea of praying with another about their wants or needs – perhaps we can call it “commissioned intercession”. Maybe we reason, banding together makes for a more persuasive argument.

Now “commissioned intercession” might be effective if the person has invited you to pray but what if they haven’t? What if we take it upon ourselves to ask God to intervene in someone’s life without their knowledge and/or express permission; call it “freelance intercession”? Surely, in the interests of preserving free will God would respond to our prayers with “great idea, but my hands are tied”. Isn’t it true that God set up the world with all its antecedent problems such that we can choose him or otherwise? Isn’t that the whole point? If we pray “God, let it be that he comes to know you” what possible power can such a prayer have? Do we imagine that God would conspire then to set up circumstances to trigger a salvation event or perhaps shine his “light” in such a way that a person has little choice to respond in the affirmative? Because if we do this begs the question, why would he wait for us to pray? Doesn’t he love everyone and desire to be in relationship with all? Should this be so, presumably he’s actively engaging all of us in some kind of dialogue or did until we told him to “get out of our face”.

So “freelance intercession”; how could it possibly make a difference in another’s life?

First, let’s set the scene. The world, according to Jesus, actually belongs to Satan.

I John 5:19

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

This all goes back to the time of the great choice (original sin) where even the physical world was infected and corrupted by the disobedience of man (Genesis 3:16-19). This is mankind’s pitiful legacy and we all live in its shadow.

Second, we are in a spiritual battle whether we are aware of it or not.

Ephesians 6:11-13

11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Third, we are given all that we need to avoid being ensnared. Take courage from the fact that by simply resisting the devil he will flee from you (James 4:7). Or remember the 72 that Jesus commissioned and sent out ahead of him two-by-two “like lambs amongst wolves”.

Luke 10:17-20

17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Satan is a master tactician and uses many strategies to distract candidates for eternity from the truth. All of these we can counter through faithful prayer.

Did you get all that; 1. the world belongs to Satan and 2. whether we acknowledge it or not we are engaged in a spiritual battle 3. but it is a battle we can win.

Now for the argument:

The bible frequently calls us to intercede physically in others’ lives when we see injustice or poverty or hunger or thirst etc. In fact we are told that by giving food to the hungry or water to the thirsty, says Jesus “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mathew 25:31-46). To God, the practical counts as spiritual devotion.

It should not surprise us then that in the same way we are directed to care for one another practically we are called to do so spiritually. In the same way we are able to affect positive change in another’s life practically we are able to affect positive change spiritually.

For our benefit God chooses to act through us for the betterment of the world. So the sake of our personal/spiritual growth, God wants us to experience the privilege and the lessons of acting in his behalf.

Remember the Lord’s prayer:

Mathew 6:9-15

9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.[a]' 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Notice this detail, “…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”. Jesus suggests that when we pray we should ask that God’s kingdom come into the world and that God’s will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Jesus says a great deal about the “kingdom” and we sense its presence around us. God is sovereign in this Kingdom and the extent to which his Kingdom has come is the extent to which the world is subjugated to God’s will. If Satan does indeed have control of the world as Jesus says, then the coming of God’s kingdom on earth weakens Satan’s control and frustrates his plans.

When we pray for others, when we agree to stand for the interests of the oppressed, when we care enough to feed the hungry we engage in a spiritual battle. And God gives us a power to enact real positive change in the world.

Mathew18:18-20

18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be[d]bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven and in heaven (though prayer) is bound of earth.

The practical and the spiritual are always intertwined. Only faith expressed as action counts. Jesus’ crucifixion produces our redemption. The original sin corrupts not just the sinner but the land as well (which gives forth thistles). Jesus’ commissioning of the 72 allowed them to drive out demons (spiritual) and protected them from snakes and scorpions (practical).

So let’s return to my original question, “freelance intercession”; how could it possibly make a difference in another’s life?

Satan actively poisons the world.

John 10:10

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Satan blinds unbelievers from clearly seeing Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:4

4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

When we intercede in prayer on another’s behalf we stand against any plans Satan’s has for that person. By interceding we can restore sight to the spiritually blind. By taking any initiative in faith in the interests of another we establish something more of God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus gives us authority over the physical and spiritual realms. You have authority to pray on another’s behalf in doing so provide protection and create a haven for them to see Jesus clearly. It’s still their choice, but it’s a choice not a foregone conclusion.

We don’t often exercise this authority because 1. we don’t believe we have it 2. we don’t care enough about others to bother.

So my challenge to you is recognize that you have an important role to play in others’ lives. That you can bring to bear great affect in others’ lives. That practically and in pray, through faith, you can intercede and in so doing extend God’s kingdom in the world.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

So care enough to pray and believe that God will accomplish in the spiritual realm what you hope for in the physical realm. Satan will be cast down from heaven “like lightening” from the spiritual to the physical. And remember…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Practical religion

Practical religion

William Wilberforce was born on 24 August 1759 in Hull, the son of a wealthy merchant. He studied at Cambridge University where he began a lasting friendship with the future prime minister, William Pitt the Younger. In 1780, Wilberforce became member of parliament for Hull (21 yrs old), later representing Yorkshire. His life changed completely when he became an evangelical Christian, and in 1784 (25 yrs old) his Christian faith prompted him to become interested in social reform, particularly the improvement of factory conditions in Britain.

The trip from Africa to the Americas took at least six weeks. A ship often had 30 crewmen and carried about 300 slave men, women, and children. For the slaves, it was a long horrible trip. Not only did they worry about what the future held for them, but also they endured inhumane conditions on the ship. Each slave had both feet shackled to other slaves. The sleeping area, which was below the deck, was composed of un-sanded plank floors that had only 18 inches or less of headroom. The narrow space, lacked light and fresh air, sitting was impossible, and it was difficult to change positions without hurting one's neighbor. Things were worse when bad weather was encountered. During these times, slaves stayed below for extended periods. After the storm, seamen often found dead Africans intertwined with others who were still alive. The journey was long and it is estimated that of 20 million slaves, half did not make it to the coast.

On Sunday 28 October 1787 (28 yrs old), William Wilberforce wrote in his diary: "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the Reformation of society." For the rest of his life, William Wilberforce dedicated his life as a Member of Parliament to opposing the slave trade and working for the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.

Wilberforce was persuaded to lobby for the abolition of the slave trade and for 18 years he regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in parliament. The campaign was supported by many members of the Clapham Sect and other abolitionists who raised public awareness of their cause with pamphlets, books, rallies and petitions. In 1807, the slave trade was finally abolished, but this did not free those who were already slaves. It was not until 1833 (75yrs old) that an act was passed giving freedom to all slaves in the British empire.

Wilberforce retired from politics in 1825 and died on 29 July 1833, shortly after the act to free slaves in the British empire passed through the House of Commons. He was buried near his friend Pitt in Westminster Abbey. Wilberforce had campaigned for 45 years to abolish slavery.

In the world but not of the world

Real spiritual devotion can be seen by how it impacts the world.

Micah 6: 6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Real religion can be seen by how it impacts the world.

James 1:19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Real faith can be seen by how it impacts the world.

James 2:14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 9You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[e] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Your great work of faith

What will be your great work of faith?

How big is the vision for your life?

What will be your great adventure?

What are you prepared to give up to find out what he has in mind?

Feeling inadequate? Good! Recognising you are incapable is the first step:

2 Cor 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The second step is recognising that God is capable.

The third step is making our practical daily decisions in faith.

It's all about faith.

Wisdom belongs to the aged

Wisdom belongs to the aged

"Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old" Job 12:12

What do we learn as we travel through life?

When we reflect on the past what really counts, what really matters?

What is this wisdom and understanding we finally come to possess?

As I am but a child I can only guess. No doubt but some of you would be better qualified to speak to this point than me.

So, in the absence of age and in order to at least have some credibility, I call on the bible as my authority. It reports on 4000 years of God's interaction with man. It describes 4000 years worth of man's hard lessons. This should adequately substitute for my lack of age-related wisdom and understanding; don't you think?

The bible would instruct us on attitudes and behaviors that are built on the wisdom of the aged. It recommends the right path and it warns us of the pitfalls.

The bible gives us a vision of what a life lived according to God's values might look like and how such a life will produce a rich harvest for God's glory.

There is hope

But the bible does more than this. It actually declares the bankable promises of God which produces in us hope which in turn sustains us through the life's trials and tribulation which are our lot in this fallen and broken world.

You see, we long for a time to come, as it say's in Isaiah, when there will be no more suffering:

Isaiah 25:6-9 (read whole passage) "… he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces…Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

We see this promise also in Revelations as it speaks of what it to come:

Revelations 21: 4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

It is this hope which sustains us and is backed by the promises of God who has proved himself true through each of our histories. We can rely on God to deliver on that he has promised.

God says he has a better place prepared for those who choose to trust him and his walk in this ways. Are you one who has done this, truly? Are you trusting him now?

There is cost

Many won't trust him you know; at least this is what the bible says. There are many who will gain the wisdom and knowledge that comes with age but will still choose not to trust him. It is our prerogative to choose him or not. He does not compel us to choose. He calls us, he reveals himself to us, he makes a way for us to enter into the future he has for us but it is our choice to take up the offer. Have you, will you take up the offer?

Mathew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

It is possible to stare a lesson in the face and stubbornly refuse to benefit by it. In fact, I think that's what we do more than not. It's easy to get stuck in the groove and repeat our own errors eventually becoming blind to the damage they cause to ourselves and others.

The bible teaches us to have the courage to reinvent ourselves, to be reborn, to repent, to give it all up and follow him. It says it in many ways and it is always difficult to do.

Remember the rich young man who declared his desire to enter through the narrow gate. Jesus immediately asked him to give his possessions to the poor and then to follow him:

Mark 10:17 "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" 20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." 21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth."

This was too much of an ask for the wealthy young man. He was prepared to surrender his will up to a certain point short of his purse!

Quite independent of age God frequently asks us to follow him and we frequently agree in principle but can't quite come at the price.

Truly following Jesus is always a costly exercise as we are asked to surrender not just all of our worldly wealth but our precious self as well.

Mathew 16:24-27 24 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done."

This denial of self is asked of us for the sake of our hope in a promise recorded in the bible and in our uncertain hearts. Many will not take the risk and choose to trust in the promise. Many will be like the rich young man who will find the price too high.

Are you ready to pay the price? Has the wisdom and knowledge of experience taught you to realise the true value of salvation such that there is nothing you are not prepared to give up in order to inherit it?

God is patient

Imagine for a moment that you were in God's place. You have revealed yourself to your creation, a people that you love deeply, and provided a means by which they can live a full and complete life which will end with them sharing a new perfect world you have created. You have communicated the means by which they can live this life and inherit this salvation but most them, though intrigued, are far from persuaded.

So you work with each of them over many years prompting them, guiding them but with little success. The sticking point is that they have to choose your way in faith and to do this they have to trust you. You've always been consistent and true to your word but they are jaded by a fallen world that has often let them down and they are blinkered by their own choices from seeing the way clearly.

What would you do if you were in God's place? Would you eventually grow impatient with your creation or would you persevere?

I am glad that that our immortal God is not mortal like me. I am glad the perfect is not imperfect. I am glad the supernatural is not natural so that I might have hope of walking the good walk and eventually coming into my eternal inheritance through faith in Jesus. Because if left to me I would have lost patience with creation long ago.

But God is the God of the second chance. In the same way that we can dare to hope, he holds hope for us.

God we are told in 1 John 4:8 is love. Love we are taught in 1 Corinthians 13 is patient, keeps no record of wrongs and always trusts:

1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

He will continue to present you with the choice and this side of the grave it never to late to choose to change.

Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Now that's what you call cutting it fine! If God can offer redemption to a crucified robber is the last hours of his life then there is hope for all of us yet.

Choose hope

But it takes a deliberate choice and we are right to consider the serious consequences of postponing the choice:

C.S. Lewis: "God is the only comfort, he is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves his enemies. Some talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger - according the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way."

So if you haven't already, speak to God and offer up that which he is asking of you.

There is promise of a better place waiting were there will be no more suffering; where we will become one with our creator God.

Be prepared to pay the cost because there is always a cost we bear in the surrender of self.

Know that God is patient and will forgive and redeem you right up to line should you place your faith in him. But consider all of this seriously because the cost of making the wrong choice is grave indeed.

"Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old" Job 12:12

The challenge is not to obtain wisdom and understanding, this we are told is an artifact of age, but to live wisely and know God as a saviour and friend.

Suffering Pt2

More suffering

To recap from last week: Suffering is part and parcel of living with free will. Going back to Genesis; the cost of freedom was the abuse of freedom (sin) which had moral and physical consequences…man was sent from the garden (to be apart from God) and the land itself was cursed (Gen 3;16-19) (to be apart from God). The world in which we live then, in as much as we don't claim it back, is subject to the will of Satan (the personification of sin).

1 John 5:18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe (that his Jesus), and the evil one (that is Satan) cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

It should not surprise us then that suffering is so common and visible at a global, community and personal level, after all the "whole world is under the control of the evil one".

Last week we looked at evidence in the bible that God thinks about suffering differently to us mere mortals. In particular, he has an eternal view of creation - there was no suffering before the fall (Genesis 1-2) neither will there be after the return of the Christ (Rev. 21) …4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Our usual 21st century western protestant image of God as a loving forgiving Father is at best incomplete, and at worst entirely misrepresentative. If we rise above our cultural/ religious/ denominational prejudice and use the bible alone to describe the character and manner of God using a fresh canvas…we end up with a very different picture. He is loving forgiving father, true, but at the same time he is a perfect righteous judge who does not hesitate to withdraw his conscious blessing or even punish communities or individuals according to his good purposes. We use the old/new covenant argument to dismiss unpalatable actions of God described in the old testament failing to appreciate the he is the same God both before and after the coming of the Christ. Those in the early church understood and respected God better after the sudden demise of Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-3); reading the bible – so should we.

We need to be comfortable with a sovereign, awesome, powerful God who acts not just in the interests of us as individuals but also in the interests of communities and indeed, globally. It is vain and self-important to place oneself in the centre of things by holding a view of God as personal Genie rather than as creator judge of the living and dead.

We have no right of claim on God's protection, provision or his blessings. We should have the attitude of gratefulness and humility before God. God, who loves us, acts according to his own good purposes many of these we will never understand; they are beyond us. You would be right to have a healthy fear of God…to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) remembering the many examples given throughout the bible of God expressing his righteous and jealous anger of a people who choose other than what he wanted or intended for them.

You will remember that last week we covered lots of evidence in the scriptures that there are many causes of the suffering we experience:

1. We reap what we sow (Gal 6:7).
2. God delivers his judgments in this life not just the next (2 Kings 5:19-27, Acts 5:11).
3. But the suffering of an individual if not necessarily the judgment of God (John 9:1-3).
4. Sometimes brings a judgment against whole communities (Gen 19).
5. But a suffering community is not necessarily the evidence of God's judgment (Luke 13:1-5).
6. Suffering can follow goodness as it follows badness (1 Peter 2:19, Job, Jesus)…they aren't necessary causally connected.
7. Most suffering in the world is the result of sinning against one another which is often overlooked by those who would deny a loving God because of "all the suffering in the world).

God often uses suffering to develop in us resilience and character (Heb 12:7-13, 1 Pet 1:6-9). The bible even teaches that Jesus learned obedience from suffering (Heb 5:7-10).

So that's our recap from last week.

These are my thoughts for this week…let's assume that we are each at different points of comfort and understanding about the place of suffering in our lives, communities and the boarder world. I suspect that the cause/role of suffering is a much more important question for those that are/have suffered or are/were closer to suffering. Whatever we may think about suffering one thing is certain; you should expect suffering in various degrees even in the form of death over the next few decades. Whatever measure of suffering you experience, less or more, you will need to decide how it is you respond.

You see, it is your response that determines the kind of man you are and it is the consistency of your response which goes to the formation of character. Good character is what God is leading/pushing us to by his many machinations. He is the great circumstantial engineer. He either engineers the circumstance, or the lesson for the sake of your personal growth (to the extent you are prepared to allow this).

It is good character that will provide the basis for long-lasting quality relationships with God and man. These relationships are our legacy and our treasure. They are the means by which we do good works thus benefiting our fellow man and fulfilling Jesus greatest commandment…to love. So strive for good character, develop good character, value good character, befriend people of good character, and marry them where possible, and you will have a successful long and happy life 1 Cor 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character.".

A good response to suffering in our life is an important feature of good character. Let's look into the bible and see what lessons it teaches about good responses to suffering.

1. Look for the big picture of what God might be accomplishing…Phil 1: 12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[b] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
2. Rejoice in the suffering for the sake the bigger picture…1 Peter 1: 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
3. Give God glory for both the good and the gory Job 13:15a Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.
4. Have courage and stand firm in the faith in the face of suffering; don't be afraid Daniel 10:10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
5. Fight to protect others from suffering James 1 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. John 15: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
6. Accept and trust God if suffering; know when not to fight it Act 7: 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.
7. A bit of pain can make your life more fruitful John 15: 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
8. Gain instruction from suffering … Hebrews 12: 7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Notice that the bible spends much more time talking about responses to suffering than it offers reasons for suffering. There is an implicit assumption that suffering is part and parcel with life on earth and that we live in hope we are destined to one day know a place without suffering.

We should then look for the big picture, give God the glory whatever may befall us, have courage and stand firm, fight to aleave the suffering of others, learn to accept suffering as fuel for personally growth and God's means to an end….even if we can't see what that end it is.

Suffering Pt1

Moral interpretation

Suffering is part of the human condition and can be witnessed operating at all levels:

1. Global – war, earthquake, tsunami, famine etc.
2. Community – plane crash, building fire, bomb etc.
3. Individual – sickness, unemployment, unrequited love

Our problem with suffering begins when we attempt to attach meaning, explain it, understand the cause, fit it into our moral/spiritual sense etc…We ask questions like, "why did God allow/cause that to happen?". Someone young we love dies so we ask, "why?". We loose a job and look for a deeper meaning…"does God have something better for me?" Some suffering we don't feel outraged by…a murderer is caught and punished (good)…and some we do…a child maimed by a terrorist bombing (why). The greater the moral outrage/ our sense of unfairness, the harder it is to explain. The closer we are to the suffering/the more keenly we feel it the greater the imperative to find a reason. If an innocent stranger dies in another part of the world it concerns us much less than if we are diagnosed with terminal cancer.

We could make things simpler for ourselves if we operated without faith/ purely from the perspective of reason then suffering is just and unfortunate event caused by circumstances beyond our control. If it happens to others then that's too bad. If it happens to us then we work out how to reduce the risk of the suffering from occurring again. Simple, yes? Our faith adds a further dimension to suffering.

Why do we feel the need to explain suffering? I think we look for an explanation so that we might avoid pain the future; it a protective response. Failing to find a moral explanation for say, the random nature of a car accident, we look to heaven and try to understand the thinking of the almighty. Our faith extends the search for an explanation past the natural into the supernatural.

Of all religions, our has one of the harder jobs explaining suffering. The bible has plenty to say on the topic but doesn't offer up a ready made doctrine which will answer all of our heart's questions. You see we believe in an all-good all powerful God (this is not the case in all religions). It seems reasonable to us that an all-good God would want his creation to be happy, yes? It also seems reasonable to us that an all-powerful God could deliver happiness to us at will, yes? So, if we are less than happy then either God is not all-good or he is not all-powerful or both, yes?

But in faith we know that God is indeed all-good and all-powerful so there must be another larger reason for why God allows us to suffer…so look at what does the bible says:

Historical context

There is a historic context for human suffering…it is time limited.

Before the fall there was no suffering in the world (Genesis 1-2). When Adam & Eve sinned God passed judgment upon them and the judgment was suffering. Man would have to toil and labour for his food and woman would have pain during childbirth (Gen 3;16-19). Further they would be separated from God (no longer allowed to remain in the Garden).

At the other end of the story, when Jesus returns and a new heaven and earth is established (Rev. 21) we are told that once again there will be no suffering.

Suffering is a result of the fall and will be correct in due course. So, we are fortunate in all of eternity to be alive enough to experience such a narrow window of suffering…aren't you pleased?

We need to have an eternal perspective of suffering. Romans 8: 18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

Causes of suffering

God allows us to suffer and even delivers the suffering himself; sometime for our sake, sometimes for sake of others, sometimes for no sake at all. We need to be comfortable with a sovereign, awesome, powerful God who acts not just in the interests of us as individuals but also the interests of communities and indeed, globally. It is vain and self-important to place oneself in the centre of things. We have no right of claim of God's protection or blessings. When should have the attitude of gratefulness and humility before God. God, who loves us, acts according to his own good purposes many of these we will never understand; they are beyond us.

Why does suffering occur?:

1. Probably the easiest to understand is suffering as a consequence of our sin. We know from experience that we reap what we sow.
   Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
2. We can also easily accept God's judgment upon sinners. 2 Kings 19-27; Acts 5:1-11
3. We presume what we are told about God's judgment against whole communities like the the story of Sodom & Gommarrah. Though it's hard to believe that in such a large city only Lot's family were found to be worthy of sparing.
4. We are taught that when natural events produce suffering we should not presume that God is delivery judgment against sinners. John 9:1 "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Also, Luke 13: 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
5. At a more personal level we also should not presume that suffering we might experience is caused by our own sin: take the story of Job for example. Peter talks about suffering for doing good. 1 Peter2:19 "For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God."
6. Most suffering is "allowed by God" as a consequence of giving us free will; that is we sin against one another: murder, adultery, recklessness, selfishness, sexual abuse, theft, unloving parents, slander, unkindness, deceit etc… There is enough food in the world to feed the hungry. War kills more innocently than natural events like weather etc.
7. So we can see God permitting the suffering and delivering the suffering for his own very good reasons so that just leaves the innocents caught in the middle…what about them? The bible teaches us that the notion of the "fallen world" extends beyond the moral into the physical environment. The garden produced all that Adam and Eve needed but when the fall occurred, the land was cursed… Genesis 3:17"To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field." Also, Romans 8:20 "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that[i] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Innocents suffer because of the global background of sin. The physical consequence of our moral failure. The world is God's creation as well are so it should not surprise us that in the same way we bear the consequences of our sin, so there are flow on effects in creation more broadly.

Suffering has a purpose

The wonderful thing about having a biblical/spiritual view of suffering is that we have a promise that God will use it in our lives to produce fruit.

Hebrews 5: 7"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 12: 7 "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13"Make level paths for your feet,"[b] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."

1 Peter 1: 6 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

John 15: 2 "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful."

So let us have a larger perspective on suffering and trust that God is indeed trustworthy. Let us be grateful for what he has given us and not expect an easy life. Suffering is part of the growth process and should be entered into with faith and eagerness…

Romans 12: 1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.