Sunday, October 11, 2009

Consistency, strength and God in trouble

Today: Romans 14-16



What happens when people...when Christians....get into trouble?

What if it's trouble they bring on themselves?

How should you and I respond?

And more importantly, how does God respond?



These are some serious questions. In life so far, I've seen people get into trouble and I've been in some myself. I thought that today's passage had some interesting answers, so let's talk about some of the questions again.



What happens when people...when Christians....get into trouble?

What if it's trouble they bring on themselves?



I believe there are different kinds of trouble we face in life. Some is trouble that comes from simply being a human being in a world tainted by sin (e.g. people can be sick, abused by others, poor, etc. through absolutely no fault of their own). And sometimes, it's trouble we bring on ourselves through bad choices or sin. This chapter (and today's post) deals with that kind of trouble, as the passage states:



If the way you live isn't consistent

with what you believe,

then it's wrong.


I've faced this kind of trouble before (and my bet is that you have, too!). When you live inconsistent with what you believe--or what is true--it can tear you up inside. It's living out of sync with your conscience. It's hypocritical.

If it goes on too long, it can make you numb--lifeless, blind to God's truth and deaf to the direction of the Holy Spirit. But there's always hope...

How should you and I respond?

If someone in your life is struggling, here's what the passage says to do:


Those of us who are strong

and able in the faith

need to step in and lend a hand

to those who falter,

and not just do what is most convenient for us.

Strength is for service, not status.

Each one of us needs to look after

the good of the people around us,

asking ourselves, "How can I help?"
Sometimes when people struggle, we avoid them...like they have some kind of contagious disease. Or when people struggle, a lot of Christians want to say the right things like, "I'll pray for you" or even "God has a plan." Those things may be true...but they may not be what the person struggling needs.
They may need you to listen. Really. They may need you to call or visit. They may need you to babysit or cook a meal. They may need you to mow their lawn or help them laugh.
How does God respond to people in trouble?
God's response to trouble is so incredible when you think about how people characterize other religious figures (like Buddha, for example)...or even people (like celebs or politicians) that are idolized. Here's what the passage says:

...That's exactly what Jesus did.

He didn't make it easy for himself

by avoiding people's troubles,

but waded right in and helped out.

"I took on the troubles of the troubled,"

is the way Scripture puts it.

Even if it was written in Scripture long ago,

you can be sure it's written for us...

May our dependably steady

and warmly personal God

develop maturity in you

so that you get along with each other

as well as Jesus gets along with us all.

I love this description of Jesus as the God who waded in trouble. He wasn't afraid to deal with people whose lives were messy...He picked them up in their mess and helped them out.

The mark of a mature faith is to do the same--to get along with people, to help them, to stand with them in good times and in bad. Be a dependable, warmly personal friend--just as Jesus is that kind of friend to you.

Tomorrow: I Corinthians 1-4

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