Why Is Life So Much Harder for Some People Than Others?

CHRISTY FITZWATER

 

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Why does one woman suffer with diabetes her entire life while another is healthy?

Why does one woman lose her house in a fire while another woman’s house stands?

Why does one woman wait longingly to see one positive pregnancy strip while another woman drives a van full of kids?

I made a discovery in the Bible recently that helped to answer this question for me.

You Have God's Powerful Spirit

When your life gets hard and you feel overwhelmed, you can tell yourself, "Well, at least I don't have it as tough as Zerubbabel." 

That man was the governor of Judea, whose monumental task it was to rebuild the shattered nation after the Babylonian armies' terrible destruction and after 70 years of neglect and abandonment. Judea was burned, broken, and choked with weeds. 

Zerubbabel was all too aware that he lacked both the people and resources to do this impossible job. The prophet Zechariah was commissioned to remind Zerubbabel that God always equips the people he calls. "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6).

Do you know what that means for you? Since the Spirit is living in you, you have greater strength than you think. You are wiser than you think. You know what else? Zerubbabel got the temple rebuilt. 

      

Today's Grace Moment: 

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=9tyhw8hab&v=001cNWX07JYSkSfRtKyOQVO9TKGdJ16Rhak8tr5_

You're a Jewel!

The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of his people. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.     Zechariah 9:16 

The Bible gives us this unusual detail about the construction of the Lord's temple. "In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built." (I Kings 6:7). An unbelievable amount of scraping, hammering, chiseling had to be done on those mighty rocks that were used in the construction. But it was all done out of view and out of earshot of the temple site.

It's a little like the way God "dresses" us, fitting us for heaven. The apostle Peter reminds us that you and I are living stones, and we are being mined in the quarry of earth, a place of noise, chiseling, and clouds of dust. God is using our sufferings and afflictions to hone and shape us so we might fit perfectly into heaven's landscape, where there is "no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool." Where there is no suffering. No tears, pain, sorrow, or death. 

Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?

Dr. Ray Pritchard

Fig trees are for making figs.

Pretty simple, really. We plant apple trees because we want apples, peach trees because we want peaches, orange trees because we want oranges, and fig trees because we want figs. We might as well ask what good is an apple tree that doesn't produce apples? You might as well cut it down. Or curse it, as Jesus did the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-19).

How did Jesus know the fig tree was barren? Because the leaves and the fruit typically appear at about the same time. To see a fig tree covered with leaves but with no fruit meant that it was barren.

Three insights will help us understand this story. First, in the Old Testament the fig tree often stood as a symbol for the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10). 

Second, we also need to observe that the cursing of the fig tree occurs on Monday of Jesus's Passion Week, four days before his crucifixion. 

The Rose of Sharon

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.  Song of Solomon 2:1 It's June, the month of roses. Nothing is more beautiful than the gradual unfolding of a rosebud into its full glory. Each petal unfurls, layer by layer, revealing ever-increasing loveliness. At each stage you say to yourself, "How could it be more beautiful? Right now it's at its best. I've got to get my camera!" When I consider the way God reveals His glory to us, I picture a rose. In Genesis, the bud of God's plan opened just enough to show the promise of salvation. Through successive chapters of history, the bloom opened more and more before the wondering eyes of God's people. One glory followed another. God's glory as a warrior striking Egypt with plagues... God's glory at Mt. Sinai with trumpet, quaking earth and laws for living... His glory blazing between the Cheribum in the wilderness tabernacle... His glory filling the temple of Solomon. At each stage, as the rose unfurled petal by petal, there were probably those who reasoned, "This is the ultimate. It can't get any better!"

Elisabeth The Woman Who Bore a Son in Her Old Age

Scripture Reference—Luke 1:5-80

Name Meaning—Elisabeth means “God is my oath” that is, “a worshiper of God.” In his hymn of praise, uttered soon after the birth of his son John, Zacharias alludes to the significance of his wife’s name when he said, “the oath which God swore to Abraham.” The son was called John by divine command, and means “the mercy or favor of God.”

Family Connections —Luke describes Elisabeth as “one of the daughters of Aaron” which means she came of an honored priestly line (Exodus 6:23). She was the wife of a priest, Zacharias, of the course of Abia, that is one of the sets of priests who ministered in the Temple from Sabbath to Sabbath (1 Chronicles 24:10). There was thus a priestly descent on both sides. Priests were allowed to marry pious women (Leviticus 21:7). Elisabeth became the mother of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Assessing the life and character of Elisabeth we know that she was prominent as—

Heaven on Earth

But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" — 1 Kings 8:27

At the inauguration of the Temple built for God by King Solomon, he expresses the following: “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you.” How in the world can an infinite God possibly be contained in a finite physical building?

King Solomon makes a good point. One that may have better been brought up before he built the Temple! But of course, his question is really rhetorical, and he is simply teaching us a very important lesson about every place of worship for all of time.


If we think that any place of worship is the address of God, then we are gravely mistaken. Because God isn’t contained to any one space. God is everywhere. God is in your living room, in your bedroom, even waiting with you in line as the person in front of you takes way too long to pay for their groceries. As a great rabbi, the Rebbe of Kotzk, once said when asked where God is, “God is everywhere you let Him in!”

The Temple: Not One Stone Will Be Left

Dr. Ray Pritchard

Stones from the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.

“They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you”(Luke 19:44).

Jesus loved Jerusalem.
When he uttered these words, he was weeping. 

No doubt his hearers didn’t take him seriously when he said that the great temple in Jerusalem, Herod’s Temple, would someday be torn down. On that bright and warm day in early April, it must have seem quite impossible that anyone could or would destroy the temple. 

Who would do such a thing?

The answer would come in 70 AD when the Roman army captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. The Romans evidently took their work seriously because when they were done, there was no temple. It was gone, destroyed, burned down, all the way to the massive foundation stones.

One day it was there.
A few days later it was gone.
Just as Jesus had predicted.

It happened because Israel “did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Another term for this is the “Day of Visitation,” a moment in history when God comes in blessing and power. When Jesus came, God was “visiting” his people. He showed himself in word and in deed to be mighty Son of God from heaven, the long-awaited Messiah. But his own people would not listen to him. 

They could have known.
They should have known.

There is a message for us for those with ears to hear.

If we do not respond to God’s call, we will one day face his judgment.
If we brush aside his blessings, we will answer for it eventually.
If we think we have forever to say yes to Jesus, we will one day be rudely surprised.

The jumbled pile of rocks sends a message to those who read these words.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Let us be warned, O Lord, so that we will not miss the day of God’s coming to us. Give us eager hearts to respond when you call. Amen.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free email sermon.

About Dr. Ray Pritchard

Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries, in Internet-based ministry serving Christians in 225 countries. He is the author of 27 books, including Stealth Attack, Fire and Rain, Credo, The Healing Power of Forgiveness, An Anchor for the Soul and Why Did This Happen to Me? Ray and Marlene, his wife of 37 years, have three sons-Josh, Mark and Nick, two daughters-in-law--Leah and Vanessa, and two grandsons--Knox and Eli. His hobbies include biking, surfing the Internet, and anything related to the Civil War.

Did the Crucifixion Take God by Surprise?

Dr. Doug Bookman

The phrase "God has a plan" has become something of a cliché—with a negative connotation for many people. But in the circumstances leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, the Gospel accounts provide confirmation that God does indeed have all things well in hand.

Far from being surprised or swept along, Jesus carefully orchestrated the events of the Passion Week (His last week on earth). This doesn't mean He manipulated those responsible for sending Him to the cross; rather, He brought out their seething hatred and true responses to His teaching.

According to Acts 2:23, the crucifixion progressed according God's prior intent, and the Passion Week allows us a glimpse at just how this happened. With His arrival during the Triumphal Entry, Jesus came as the promised Messiah at exactly the right moment in history (see Daniel 9). The common people welcomed Him with Messianic shouts of "Hossana," something completely intolerable to the Pharisees. However, the elite Sadducees enjoyed control of the Sanhedrin (the religious council), and even this type of welcome did not move them.

So, Jesus took His message to them. On Monday, He cleansed the Temple of moneychangers for the second time during His ministry and then staked His rightful claim to His Father's House. In fact, He wouldn't even permit merchandise to be carried through the Temple (Mark 11:16). The Sadduceesdid notice someone invading what they considered to be their turf.

Thanks to the superficial favor of the crowd, Jesus kept the leaders of Israel at bay for several days until the time appointed by God. And even then, those same leaders still feared the crowd's response enough to conduct a nighttime trial and to take Him to the Romans for death by crucifixion rather than by stoning, just as the Old Testament had shown.

The wickedness of humanity put Jesus on the cross, but none of the events took Him by surprise. He had warned His disciples when, where, and how His death would come because God had planned it before the earth had form.

Adapted from the lecture notes of Dr. Doug Bookman, professor of New Testament Exposition at Shepherds Theological Seminary (used by permission).

http://www.jesus.org/death-and-resurrection/the-crucifixion/did-the-crucifixion-take-god-by-surprise.html

The Temple Courts: Shake Us Up, Lord!

Dr. Ray Pritchard

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).

Jesus would not put up with some things.

We have seen over and over again his compassion for the hurting and his outreach to the forgotten. He cares for those the world forgets.

Healing Thyself

While the Church has its part in healings, so does the sick person. For instance, you can take preventative measures -- proper diet, physical conditioning, and quitting smoking. 

Gluttony and laziness are sin, not because they make you ill, but because they undermine your sense of spiritual (and bodily!) proportion about yourself and show a lack of inner discipline. 

If your body is a temple for the Spirit, and is made to be that way by dint of God's creative hand, then it is an insult to God for you to lay waste to it.

Then, there is your devotional life. When you turn your attention to God, and open yourself up ever more to the inner work of the Spirit, it helps in every aspect of your life. Devotional disciplines like daily prayer, quiet time, and journaling help keep you in tune with God and helps you to turn over more of your life to God. 

If your illness is caused by a sin you're still holding onto, as it sometimes is, the disciplines help you find the sin, where its roots are, and how it can be ended. Also, the Spirit might bring you the gift of spiritual healing of yourself -- making you both the healer and the healed.

If this should happen to you, give praise and thanks to the God who made it possible. Let yourself go in the praise of God! It's fun, and it's right!

It's not illness, faith healers, doctors, unusual occurrences, or even the sick person that merits our greatest attention. It is Jesus the Healer who merits it. This remains true even if health is not restored.
http://www.spirithome.com/healings.html