Context Matters

We have all lived through difficulties and troubles. No doubt some experience greater difficulty and greater trouble. Our personal context defines what is difficult.

If you grew up with nothing, food scarcity, lack of heat in the winter, and no air-conditioning in the summer, death, sickness, and other severe examples, it provides a context of just a little better, which can seem like. a miracle.

On the other hand, if you grew up with every conceivable comfort and abundance of every imaginable thing, the lack of a few of these things can seem like great difficulty.

If you had to walk everywhere and then have a bicycle, this would be a great blessing.

My point is that, in our modern times, what is often defined as troubled times would have been times of great blessings.

I went to the Philippines in 2,000. I saw what I would describe as poverty. I visited homes with bare walls, hanging sockets for lights, and rudimentary plumbing, and it was “sad” to me. However, the people I met were happy and very thankful for these things because they had not been available before.

One of the greatest blessings God ever provides and allows in our lives is difficulty, discomfort, and trouble. If this happens early in life, when things improve, the smallest things that improve our lives can seem almost miraculous.

However, if we never experience that trouble and difficulty, we often fail to realize just how good we have it and have had it.

There was a warning to the people of God leaving slavery, hard labor, persecution and abuse. God was promising them better times and realities. However, wrapped up in these things was a warning.

¹⁰ And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, ¹¹ And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; ¹² Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Deuteronomy 6:10-12

There is one overriding expectation from God.

Live with an attitude of appreciation and praise for what you have.

We all need seasons of challenge and hardship so when we do begin to have better days, we can fully appreciate all of the good, no matter what challenges we face.

If you are living through difficult times, rejoice. Better days are coming.

Most will live to see better things in this life.

However, most importantly, there is a glorious future promise and hope that we would do well to keep in the center of our hearts and minds.

We have hope beyond this current day.

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19

Look across this world, those who live with limitless resources are often miserable and hopeless. The things that our world promotes as perfection is a mirage.

Most who attain this impossible dream find it is a house full of merely pyrite.

To those of you who are believers, we would do well to heed these admonitions of Paul.

“ If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-3

Context.

No matter how materially blessed you are.

Multiple Luxury cars. Multiple Long Vacations a year. More room in your house that you can use. Closets, garages, sheds, safes, accounts with abundane, if you have it all in this life, if you fail the grace of God and find yourself in hell, what do you have?

What good is it if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?

Could it be that God’s greatest grace is trouble and difficulty that helps you appreciate the greatest blessings found only in prayer, worship, and our relationship with God?

^“ But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” 1 Timothy 6:9-11

The context of what really matters is only found in one place.

In Him, By Him, Through Him,

Scott A. Phillips