Anyone can fall prey to living with the expectation that everything in life should be pleasant, rewarding, comfortable, and fun. But when life does not meet these expectations, you could disengage from living life or become angry, depressed, or demand that others make everything as you desire. These types of responses create an unrealistic and unsustainable way of living because they promote that you actively deny how life is experienced.
Do these statements correspond closer to your life experience?
- Even when you enjoy the work you are doing, work can still be difficult, and problems can occur.
- Even if you are in a loving, supportive family, relationships can be challenging, and conflict can exist.
- Even when you make a reasonably good income, you may not have enough money to get everything you want.
- Even if you have wonderful, complementary friendships, life and relationships can be dissatisfying at times.
- Even when you are trying to live a faithful life following Jesus, life may include suffering, pain, discomfort, challenges, hardships, and opposition.
You may face difficulties in this life, and challenges of all kinds could test your faith in Jesus. It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN will these difficulties and challenges come, and how can you be prepared in advance to face them?
If you realize you have bought into a false belief system that you should always experience comfort, pleasure, happiness, fun, and reward, you also may have discovered that life does not always go this way. But that does not mean you should live in denial or abdicate your responsibility to actively live and respond to life’s challenges.
What if followers of Jesus should expect to experience discomfort, opposition, and suffering for their belief that Jesus is God? The truth about life is revealed in the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Jesus expects you to be honest about the challenges and difficulties you experience in this life when you try to faithfully follow Him. Jesus expects you to actively respond in ways that make Him known to others through your life circumstances.
Responding to Life’s Difficulties
In Acts 17:1-9, the writer, Luke, describes the experience of the apostle Paul in the city of Thessalonica. Paul used the Scriptures to reason with the people, and he explained the prophecies, giving evidence that Jesus was God, that Jesus came, suffered, and rose from the dead (Acts 17:2-3). The people in Thessalonica were divided by Paul’s message about Jesus.
Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. Acts 17:4-5
After this encounter, Paul and Silas left the city of Thessalonica, but later, Paul wrote at least two letters to the believers in Jesus in Thessalonica, recorded as First and Second Thessalonians in the New Testament. In the third chapter of First Thessalonians, both Paul and Timothy are pleased that the truth about Jesus is advancing by the evidence of the changed lives in Thessalonica. These new believers in Jesus are making Jesus known through their genuine repentance and giving and receiving forgiveness.
When these followers of Jesus experience intense persecution and face real-life challenges, they respond by
- Sharing and living the truth about Jesus everywhere they go,
- Showing love to the people who were opposing them, and
- Giving generously to those in need.
They also show a willingness to remain committed to their faith in Jesus even when they are persecuted by their own community (i.e., those who do not believe the truth about Jesus).
Strengthened by Prayer
The Thessalonian’s response to difficulties is empowered by Jesus in their lives and fueled by the encouragement and prayers of Paul and others.
How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith. May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May He, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all His holy people. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
What amazing encouragement to know they are being prayed for in this way! These new believers in Jesus are learning how to live their faith while experiencing persecution.
Paul uses these letters and his prayers to teach and encourage them to respond to opposition and actively live their faith in Jesus.
Let your love grow and overflow.
Paul prays for their love to overflow, but he was not talking about an emotional love, but rather a way of living toward one another’s best interest so that they are actively learning new ways to increase or grow their love for one another. Are you growing in your love for others?
Allow God to strengthen your heart.
Paul prays for God to strengthen or establish their hearts – blameless and holy – which refers to their will and intellect. Paul desires that they have a deep conviction of belief in Jesus that results in life change and that their commitment to follow Jesus would never waiver despite the difficulties they face so that their holy devotion to Jesus would be seen as evidence of their faith in Jesus. What evidence is apparent to others that your life is truly devoted to Jesus?
These believers in Jesus are considered examples or models of how to respond to life’s challenges. They remain faithful to Jesus. Their love for one another increases. They are spoken about all over the region for their perseverance in the faith when they face difficulties and suffer opposition for their belief in Jesus.
Paul thanks God for their exceedingly growing faith in Jesus, their abounding love for one another, and their patient endurance through persecution. Paul also encourages them by explaining that Jesus is present with them in their suffering and Jesus has given them His worthiness to stand righteous before God in the future. God sees them, declares them His own, and Jesus presents them as worthy to represent Him on earth. See 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12.
Consider your beliefs about what life is really like when you commit wholeheartedly to believe in Jesus and live faithfully with Him.
- Are you fully persuaded that the truth about life is revealed in the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus? Jesus is God.
- Have you discovered any unrealistic expectations about life with Jesus? You may have expected your life to be filled with comfort, pleasure, happiness, fun, and reward. Jesus never promised life with Him would result in these expectations.
- Are you living life with Jesus expecting challenges and difficulties so that you can actively demonstrate your faith in Jesus and make Jesus known to others?
- Have you experienced (or are you currently experiencing) life circumstances that are difficult and possibly overwhelming, but you are enduring patiently, waiting on Jesus, because you know these life challenges are allowing the righteousness of Jesus to be put on display through your responses?
Jesus has expectations for life with Him. Life with Jesus may come with all kinds of challenges and opposition, but Jesus desires for your response to result in a visible demonstration of His work of faith in you for others to see!
