Not long ago, I was speaking to one of my missionary friends who is in Bolivia and she was comparing the price of fruits and vegetables where she now lives to where she is from in Colombia. In Bolivia, the price of fruits and vegetables are very cheap, and the people take it for granted, while in Colombia many people cannot afford to buy these types of foods. The situation in Colombia is much like what is happening in Jamaica and many parts of the world. As I spoke to my friend, I thought about how God may be providing for us and protecting us when He sends us to a place that we may know little about and many people may not want us to go there. There are those who may think we are crazy to go, but it is always best to do what God says no matter what people may feel or how things may look. We need to get our emotions out of the way and obey God. The thing that looks bad that we may not want to do is what God may be using to save our lives and to guide us into His purposes.
I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! Why should you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine, and plague, as the Lord has spoken to the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Jeremiah 27:12-13
The Lord was actually saving His people’s lives when He told them to submit to the yoke of the Babylonians. This is not what they wanted to do. They preferred to listen to the lies of false prophets who declared their freedom and prosperity. Yet, these prophetic words although they sounded good would lead them to their destruction. Who are you listening to and why? Many of us have a tendency to be drawn to people who say what we want to hear, but not what we need to hear, especially when what we need to hear does not seem palatable. We often forget that we serve a sovereign infinite God who sees the big picture and who is already in the future. In spite of this, we do not want to do what He says because we do not like it. If we only knew the higher cost we will pay for disobedience.
See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 5:6
I surely do not want to pay the price of disobedience when I incur God’s wrath. Therefore, I would prefer to stay on the straight and narrow path even though many may believe this to be restrictive and lacking fun. However, this too is a lie of the enemy because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and God wants us to enjoy our lives, but not what some of us may consider enjoyment, which could be sinful.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Which gate are you going through? Are you choosing life or destruction? What looks and feels good to you now may be bad for you later. Ironically, what may look and feel bad right now may give you life. I remember when I was growing up with my grandmother, she would find all these bushes that I had to drink which was supposed to be good for me. I hated them. They were bitter and just tasted really bad. I would sneak to the other side of the house and throw it away sometimes without my grandmother finding out. You don’t want to know what happened to me when she realized I had thrown away her medicinal cure-all remedies. Now that I am older, I recognize the value of what I did not like and would throw away. What I felt was bad then, I now see as good.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive. Genesis 50:20
Joseph understood looking back at his life’s challenges that he had experienced much evil through his jealous brothers who threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery, while telling his father that an animal killed him. Later, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him and when he tried to get away, she lied on him and got him thrown into prison. Yet, all these bad situations were what positioned him to become prime minister of Egypt and save His people from famine. The bad everyone thought they were doing against him was God’s way of working out good, for not only Joseph, but also to save an entire nation.
What bad situation are you going through right now? Don’t ever forget:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Comments