WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE PART 3 of 8

 WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

PART 3 OF 8

3) to call us to our heavenly hope

romans 5: 3-5 2 corinthians 4: 17, 18

   Let us begin this segment with some heavenly hall of famers:  How many people do you know with chronic diseases which are fatal? When my sister received a diagnosis of cancer, she went totally in with Jesus. She praised Him constantly, she witnessed, she attended regular church gatherings, etc. I had a friend who I had known since she was in elementary school. She had a chronic, debilitating disease that had no cure. She was chair bound when I first met her, then she became bedbound. She was forever witnessing about her faith in Jesus. She was leading others to faith. I have also known people who were swallowed up with depression when they received their diagnosis and focused on their circumstance rather than our LORD.

   Bad things happen to good people to grow our heavenly hope. If things were good and uneventful in our lives, how would we be able to exercise our faith in our destination....heaven? We would be enjoying this life and, I dare say, never give a second thought to where we are going. But, when we face trials and tribulations, when we struggle with unfavorable circumstances, we focus our hearts on our citizenship in heaven and praise God no matter what we face. We have this explained by the Apostle Paul in Romans 5: 

 "1)Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2) By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulations works patience; 4) And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Which is given unto us."

 Tribulations work patience. We don't live in an instant gratification world when our citizenship is in heaven. We trust God to work things out in His good time, and for His glory.  We keep our eyes on Jesus, not our circumstance.  We pray and wait upon Him, trusting His wisdom and looking for our assignment during our trial. We witness, we don't faint, we sing His praises, we hold His banner high. Patience is uncomfortable. I compare it to when we are raising children, we patiently wait for them to accomplish their goals rather than just blowing through and performing their tasks for them. We wait patiently on God to accomplish His goals in our lives.  We don't always know what God's plan is for our tribulations, but we pray and praise Him until we see His glory in it.

 At the end of our tribulation, we take a deep sigh of relief and praise Him even more. We gain experience the more times He brings us through. It is always a bonus when we see the results of the work He has done during that time. The experience helps to lessen our anxiety and our fear the next time we are faced with trials. My facebook post from June 2017: "the miserable night turned into a miserable day. 'ever been there? consider what Jesus went through the days before His crucifixion. suddenly the miserable day is beautiful. praising Jesus for His sacrifice. He got the cross, I got paradise! woohoo for me!" 

  Consider this as you enter into your trials and tribulations:  The battle belongs to The LORD.  Our home is in heaven, so what ever happens in this world does not affect us as it affects those without Him.  There is nothing here for us, even people!  When our names are written in The Lamb's Book of Life, we will be reunited with our loved ones.  We must learn to show God's love to others while we wait to be called home.  Furthermore, since the battle belongs to The LORD, He is able to take the victory!  Amen?  So, the battle is already won, no matter how we see it through earthly eyes.  Consider what the Apostles endured with Jesus on the cross.  They had to adjust their vision, also, to heavenly eyes, rather than earthly eyes.

   The day is coming quickly when events on earth are going to turn badly:  disease, pestilence, starvation, civil unrest, etc.  Rejoice now in your trials and tribulations and gain this heavenly hope, that you may be able to bear anything until we are called home.

Is your name written in The Lamb's Book of Life?  There is peace and assurance in knowing God is in control of your life and that NOTHING can touch you unless He allows it.   Click here for information on how to receive this peace:  https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

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