A life worth living.

I was listening to Jackie Hill Perry the other day, well, I saw a short clip of one of her messages would be a more appropriate description. In this clip she was talking about how as Christians and evangelists sometimes we have done people a disservice by not explaining that the Christian walk is one of suffering and of laying our lives down. We have to take up our cross daily to follow Christ (Luke 9:23-24), it is not about comfort or what’s easy. But at the same time, the Christian walk is beautiful and glorious and full of joy and peace, nothing compares to it.

That is all true. I wish being saved meant everything would click into place and life would be one smooth easy road. But Matthew 7:13-14 tells us this, “Enter through the narrow gate because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction—nearly everyone chooses that crowded road! The narrow gate and the difficult way leads to eternal life—so few even find it!” Which means, the easy road that most people take, the comfortable way, does not lead to eternal life. The hard and difficult road is what leads to eternal life.

Now what makes it hard and difficult? The fact that it is contrary to how the world does things, is one reason. God’s ways are different to how the world does things. But in saying that, it doesn’t mean God causes us pain and suffering. That is a result of the fall of man in the garden of Eden.

There will come a day when God gets rid of all pain and suffering for those who believe. Revelations 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” What a glorious day that will be! But as long as we live on this Earth, life will be hard, it will have pain and suffering.

God in His goodness, however, does not let us suffer in vain. Romans 5:3-5 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

There is nothing better than doing life with Jesus. Because I can tell you one thing, we all struggle with something. Saved or unsaved, everyone has problems. The great benefit we have as Christians is that we have a Saviour who is ready to rescue us from trouble, walk us through the valley of the shadow of death, deliver us from evil, protect us from harm (and sometimes from ourselves too), loves us, cares for us, provides for us, comforts us, strengthens us and so much more. We have Jesus! A life with Jesus is definitely a life worth living!

God does not cause us to suffer or bring us problems, that’s part and parcel of living in a fallen world. But what God does is He takes our suffering, He takes the hardships, and He works them for our good. Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

God uses the stuff that happens in our lives to make us more and more like Jesus. Nothing is wasted.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.