Tribulation Produces

By Guy Baker

Who hasn’t stared off into space and wondered how they were ever going to get out of this particular mess? The stress, the pressure, the fear, all combine to make for sleepless nights and high anxiety. It is not so easy to be kind, calm, considerate during a time of great turmoil. Whether it is anger, frustration, abuse or another inappropriate manifestation, we are all probably guilty of “bad” choices during our trying times. Perhaps the most simple things can put you on edge. All the while, you are wondering how in the world you are ever going to solve what seems to be this overwhelming and seemingly insoluble problem.

If you have a profound faith in God, it would not be unusual to start asking Him WHY? Why me? Why at this time? Why can’t I find a way out? Some questions might even be more specific. “God! What did I do to deserve this?” “God, why are you doing this to me?” “God, if at possible, please take this cup from my lips.”

If you have no faith in God, I suppose the circumstances might dictate the questions. But in most cases, it would seem fair to suggest that the net result of turmoil and problems is anxiety, concern and stress. We just wouldn’t be human, if we didn’t wonder and ask why.
Yet, Biblically, there is a way to know the answer? After years of personal Bible study (almost 20 years now), I can tell you that I certainly don’t have all the answers. But the Bible can give us clues as to what God has in mind for each of us. I call this God think. This occurs as we conform out lives closer and closer to Biblical truth.
There are many verses which give me a lot of comfort when I am faced with a problem. But even more important than those verses is my checklist of knowables. Those things which I can count as certain when it comes to God.

1. I know God is Love. This is true because the Bible says so in 1 John 4:16.
2. I know that God is sovereign. The Old Testament declares God is sovereign over 500 times.
3. I know that God is omnipotent. 1 Chronicles 29:12-14
4. And I know that God is omniscient – Psalm 139:1-6

There are many more verses in the Bible which attest to these immutable attributes of God. In order to appreciate the true power of God, it is important to have a lofty view and awe of God. We need to know the basic teachings He has revealed about Himself. If you have a low view of God, then how can God have any power in your life? God does not force us to do anything that is against our will. His love for us is unconditional, but He will never force you to obey Him. Obedience is always a choice – and our response to His love for us.

Because this is so, Paul said that he had learned to be content in all circumstances. Jesus’ brother, James said that we were to consider all of our trials to be joy. Be content in all things (a command), Be joyful in the face of trials (another command). How can we possibly do this when we are facing great stress. Foreclosure, death, loss of a loved one, children issues, the list goes on. Why would God tell us these things?

You must turn to Romans 5:3 to begin to understand the workings of God.
Romans 5:3-4 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  (NIV)
Notice what Paul says. Rejoice in our sufferings – our tribulations. The Greek word is thlipsis. It means stress, pressure. Paul says that God brings stress into our lives to produce patience (perseverance, endurance), character and finally hope.

As business people, we are constantly helping others with the stresses in their lives. What better message of hope could we bring than this one? Here, Paul tells us that God, the almighty, infinite God, the creator of all things, loves us so much that He will use the pressures and stresses in life to build us up. To make us righteous. He is shaping us constantly to be like Christ.
He uses the trials and tribulations of life to build endurance. It is through this endurance that we become men and women of character. Men and women who will stand for what is right in the face of adversity. Who will boldly speak out even when it is not politically correct. Men and women who are willing to be heard over the din of humanism and relativism.

The Prince of this world would have every one of us believe that God is not in control. That these situations are not necessarily good and that we can overcome them ourselves, with our own efforts, if we want to badly enough. It is discouragement, disappointment and distrust which results from Satan’s deception. But God, the sovereign Holy God, has overcome the sin of this world. He has defeated Satan at the cross. The only thing Satan can do to a believer is to deceive him. That is why it is important for each of us to understand what Paul is teaching.

Our hope, only hope is in Christ Jesus. He fulfilled, on the cross, the final sacrifice for sin. Through Jesus, we are reconciled permanently with God, for eternity. That is our hope. That we will be with Him in eternity. That is the only meaning of this life. All else is worthless (Phil 3:8).
Tribulation produces endurance, character and hope. Once we surrender our life to God, what more could we want? We have it all. God promised unlimited abundance when we become His child. We are inheritors of everything that God has for us. This does not mean worldly riches (although it may). It means we have are partakers of the Kingdom NOW. We don’t have to wait until we are taken to Heaven.

Imagine. We are having our lives shaped and molded by the master? If He must use heat and pressure to make me usable in the Kingdom – so be it. I must remember to trust Him under all circumstances and to do what is right. To allow Him to break me and mold me.

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son and whosoever, believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. If you believe in Him then how are you showing it? This folks, is where the rubber hits the road. How we chose to live our lives. The decisions we make everyday. This dictates the quality of our life. We are constantly a witness to others as they watch and see if we are consistent with our words.

Does it mean we will always make the best decision? No. But it does mean that we will seek to make the best decision. That we will openly admit our mistakes and allow God to show us our weakness and what we must change. We will move closer and closer to Him. And as we do this, little by little, at times, grudgingly perhaps, He will produce a perfect work in us. We must remember always, that, He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it. God Bless.