I
believe it is better to look on the bright side of things as much as
is possible. It is better to be optimistic than pessimistic about the
future.
If
you study history you will see that at the beginning of the 20th
Century a great optimism was prevalent throughout the western world.
At
the beginning of the 21st Century, I do not seem to see
this same kind of optimism. Between the disaster of 9/11, the tsunami,
terrorism, wars, pollution and crime the future can look pretty bleak.
Nevertheless,
I try to be optimistic because I see all these things as signs that
Jesus is indeed coming back just as he promised.
Let
us look at some predictions Jesus made almost 2,000 years ago about
what the world would be like before he returned. These events, though
terrible, should not take us by surprise because Jesus told us about
them.
These events that Jesus predicted point to the hope of His return and
the promise that when He does return all our suffering will be over if
we have lived Christian lives.
So
what exactly did Jesus say the world would face during the time before
His second coming? How accurate have His predictions been?
One
thing that Jesus said in Matthew 24:6 was “And ye shall hear of
wars and rumours of wars.” All through history there have been
treaties, conferences and alliances in an attempt to avert war. What
are the results of all these attempts? It has been estimated that
during the 20th Century, 160 million people were killed
directly as a result of war. Jesus predicted that right.
Let
us read more of the verse in Matthew 24:6, “see that ye be not
troubled.” What, not troubled by wars? Jesus means don’t let
these things discourage you or cause you to lose faith in him and the
promise of his return. These bad things will happen but despite of
them, He is coming back so we must not lose our faith in Him.
What
else did Jesus say we should expect before his return? “For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Mat. 24:7-8)
Let us note and understand that in these scriptures, Jesus clearly did
not give any hope that somehow humans would be able to conquer the
scourges of war, hunger, sickness, and disease. Jesus knew the future.
He is not only showing us He knows the future. He is giving us hope
and security amid the suffering.
Every
year there is a contest on Coney Island in
New York
. It is called “Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International
Hotdog Eating Contest.” The reigning champion holds the record of
eating more hotdogs in less time than anyone else in the world, 68
hotdogs with buns in 10 minutes.
In
contrast to this gluttony, Jesus talked about natural disasters,
famines and pestilences. All the great strides we have made in science
have not been able to spare us from these things. Amid all our plenty
and technology, one cannot forget the pictures from
Africa
of starving children who are literally skin and bones? In a world
with so much abundance, with so much overindulgence, many people are
still starving in famines. Should we be surprised by this, discouraged
or temped to lose our faith? No, because Jesus warned us that this
would happen.
Jesus
also spoke of pestilences. In the early decades of the 20th
Century the horrible Spanish influenza devastated the world
population. This disease was believed to have originated in
China
, spread to
Japan
, Europe,
America
and
Africa
. Before this epidemic ended and estimated 40 million people died in
one year. Currently HIV/AIDS afflicts about 40 million people
worldwide. Sexually transmitted diseases infect about 400 million
adults every year, and the problem disease is getting worse. Measles
still kills literally hundreds of thousands of children worldwide
every year. Jesus warned us about pestilence almost 2000 years ago,
long before the rise of modern medicine and the hope that someday
humans would be able to wipe out disease. Those hopes so far have been
mostly futile while Jesus speaking centuries ago was right.
Jesus
also said that we can expect the world to be shattered by earthquakes
such as the one that caused the tsunami in December 2004 that killed
an estimated 230,000 people. Two thousand years ago Jesus described
accurately what the world would be like before his return.
Yet
after describing such horrific events, Jesus warned, “All these
are the beginning of sorrows (birth
pains).” What
did Jesus mean? Perhaps He meant that no matter how bad war, famines
pestilences and earthquakes get, we can expect other bad things as
well before he returns. When we hear of the horrible crimes,
terrorism, pain and suffering that infects our world, we realize Jesus
gave us an incredibly accurate picture of what our world would be like
before he returns.
Jesus
said one other thing that we must not miss. Amid all these terrible
events to occur, He said in Luke 21:28, “And when these things
begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh.” Jesus is telling us not to become
discouraged because none of the terrible things taking place in the
world have taken Him by surprise. He assures us that they won’t be
forever because one day he will return and it will all end. That is
why we should not lose faith. We should not believe that the tragedies
of war, sickness and death are proof that there is no God.
The
world can be very discouraging. But in Jesus’ words, we have the
assurance that in spite of the bad things that happen, we are not to
give up, because He is coming back to put a stop to it all.
The
good news is that you and I are not left on our own. Jesus words prove
that He knows about all these things and that despite them, we can
have hope. All we have to do is live Christian lives.
In this month’s Apologia we
will continue to discuss the subject of how to deal with difficult
people. We all realize that difficult people are in our lives. In fact
I am quite sure that some would even view us as difficult from time to
time! The emphasis of this article is our response to those who are in
our circle. It could be someone at work, someone in our family, a
neighbor, or even in our congregation. But whatever the case the Lord
is very concerned with how we respond to them.
As we think of the difficult
people in our lives, it would be good to answer why we consider them
difficult. If we were to categorize the behaviors that make people
difficult to deal with, our list would probably include such things as
ingratitude, back-stabbing, undue criticism, gossip, lack of support,
insensitivity, poor social skills, bad habits, as well as many other
undesirable behaviors. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, it may describe
us! How to respond to them is of great importance.
The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians
5:20, in speaking of his role and work in the church writes,
“Now
then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading
through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to
God.”
While we understand that Paul was
discussing his role and work as an apostle, it must be noted that in
one sense we all are ambassadors for Christ. We, as we live our lives
each day, are to be an example that would bring others to God. Jesus
tells us,
“You
are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how
shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A
city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives
light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven.”
(Matthew 5:13-16)
In Philippians 2:15, Paul
admonishes us to
“…become
blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights
in the world, holding fast the word of life...”
The above should serve to remind
us of our responsibility to respond to difficult people as Christ
would. How we respond speaks volumes about our faith and in fact it
affects how others view Christ!
We need to begin to view all of
our circumstances in life as opportunities for growth in Christ
likeness as well as opportunities to reflect the redemption that we
have received.
Jesus while here on earth
certainly experienced His share of difficult people. In fact all human
kind is problematic. But over and over again we find Jesus
exemplifying how to respond. He never struck back or sought to render
evil for evil. He truly responded with love. Consider some of the
following examples.
Of the ten lepers He healed in
Luke 17:11-19, only one returned to give Him praise and thanks. Jesus
simply asked where are the nine? He could have chased them down and
reminded them of what He had done for them or even struck them with
leprosy once again but instead He let it go.
When the disciples fell asleep
before His arrest instead of growing angry He gently rebuked them by a
question. (Mat. 26:40)
As Judas made plans to betray
Him, He commented, “do it quickly.”(John 13:27)
When Peter denied Him, Jesus
helped refocus Peter and forgave Him of his denial. (John 21)
When criticized for eating with
sinners and healing on the Sabbath Jesus reminded that the sick need a
physician. (Mat. 9:12)
Example after example could be
given to show that Jesus dealt appropriately with the difficult people
He encountered. Sometime not a word was said, at others sometime a
rebuke but never did He respond except with love.
Jesus demonstrated an ability to
focus on the purpose He was trying to accomplish. He came to seek and
save the lost. That was His goal, and as such He was able to look
beyond the pettiness and hurt that difficult people can bring. The
reason being He focused on pleasing God, not man. If we did the same,
if we made God and bringing Him our glory the focus of our life, then
difficult people take on a different look.
One author suggested that we can
measure our spiritual maturity by how we deal with difficult people.
As we grow in Christ likeness, we should see ourselves move from
seeing difficult people as barriers and annoyances, to toleration,
forgiving, and to finally serving them out of gratitude for what God
has done for us!
Here are some things to remember
as you seek to love the difficult people in your life.
Remember that you cannot please
everybody! Seek to please God.
Refuse to play their game. Always
speak the truth in love and respond as God does with you.
Never render evil for evil.
Always pray for them!
And finally, “If
it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all
men”. (Rom. 12:18)
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