You Think We Have Problems?

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Worried about a paycheck that might not equal the bills? Should I use our retirement money retirement to fund our family now? How will we pay for college? How will I meet next month’s mortgage? How can the vehicle possibly be repaired? Will they turn the gas off? Will I have enough gas to get to church? Can I purchase a week’s worth of groceries with $100.00? These are real problems and worries for us all today. Yet they are nothing compared to what others may be facing, simply because they confess Christ to be their Lord and Savior!

We all know about Daniel and his friends and the heat they faced. We know Moses stood in fear of Pharaoh and his armies, if not for the Spirit of God. We know it was David’s strong belief in the God of Israel that gave him courage to stand up to the giant as a teenager. We know Abraham packed up his estate in Ur to move to some little known farmland across the miles, by faith. Even more challenging, we know of the faith of John the Baptist, Stephen, and the Apostles and what it cost them. We need to exhort one another today to live by faith!

SO YOU STILL THINK WE HAVE PROBLEMS?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:1&6)

Today, there are men, women, and children being murdered, jailed, and put out of family homes for their faith in Christ. To the true Muslim, we Christians are infidels, or enemies of God. Guess what the goal is for the Muslims regarding God’s enemies? That’s right, wipe them out…kill them! They may be sincerely wrong, but to the converted Christian in a Muslim family or neighborhood, they are sincerely serious and dangerous! A Christian in China is an enemy of the state and faces torture and jail if arrested. Suddenly, my problems don’t seem so large, definitely not life-threatening! Our real challenges are not from flesh and blood, but in spiritual realms!

In closing, let us consider Jesus, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

The prisoner must believe it. The one facing death must embrace it. The abandoned child has to feel it. Why can’t we? Listen to His words once again with faith:

“I will never leave you nor forsake you”
(Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5).

So can we now boldly and confidently say to one another, no matter our measly problems and challenges:

“The Lord is my helper: I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
(Psalm 118:6, Hebrews 13:6)