This past Sunday, our pastor preached on 1 Peter 1. Around about verse 7 it talks about the preciousness of gold and our pastor made the comment that gold was precious and expensive. I immediately turned to my wife and told her that she must be made of gold because she is precious and BELIEVE ME SHE IS EXPENSIVE (and worth every penny if you are reading this dear…Love you)!!!!! This passage in 1 Peter talks about the testing of our faith and it seems to be fitting at this juncture in the lives that surround me- my personal community. You see I define community as the people you do life with. Now, we can belong to more than one community- I certainly do. I have my church community, my school community, and my youth pastor community just to name a few. These communities often cross over into each other, but the bottom line is, these are the people I do life with. Today, my community is hurting. My community has suffered loss, my community has suffered hurt, my community has battled cancer- my community is worn.
I have often said that one of things that people should stop saying in the church is the old saying that “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Though I get and understand the meaning and sincerity of the phrase, it really does not hold true biblically. You see the fact of the matter is that we very often have burdens or trials in our lives that we can not bear. Oh we think we overcome them on our own, but we would be fooling ourselves in thinking it. The truth is that God intercedes on our behalf all the time. As I sit here and think about the weight of this world actually bearing down on me, I shutter when I realize just how quickly I would snap in two by the sheer magnitude of the load. We go through these trials for many reasons. Perhaps we need to walk away from some worldly thing that was pulling us away. Maybe we are meant to endure a hardship so that down the road, we can help someone else through the same thing. Maybe we face heartache so that we are forced to turn to Him for comfort, mercy, and grace. Perhaps we go through trials so that we will finally cry out to God for salvation.
John 16:33 reminds us,
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But, take heart, I have overcome the world.”
So, go ahead, be worn. Be tired, be hurt, be beaten down and broken. But, know that every time you crumble, every time you waver and start to fall- God is there to hold you up with his righteous right hand. Your faith will be tested so that it may become stronger. Your faith will be challenged so that it may grow. Your faith will be pushed to its limits so that when the time comes, your faith will be unshakable. James 1:2 tells us, “consider it pure joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” To my community, those that I do life with, know that I love you and that through God all storms become quiet, all seas become passable, and all things become possible. Praise God not just for what He got you through, but also thank Him for what He took off of you so that you didn’t have to shoulder the load.
In Christ Alone,
Rev. Bro. Coach
RBC 