DEALING WITH REALITY
Regardless of whether one is saved or unsaved, he finds life is made up of good times as well as bad times. Most people accept the reality that there will be bad times in their lives, and sometimes you hear a person say, “Oh, I take the good with the bad.” Then you wonder how serious they are about that statement. You wonder, do they really?

Realistically speaking, one of two things usually happens when the bad times come. One is, a person will become bitter and start to ask why God isn’t doing something to relieve the situation. With the economic downturn, the evaporation of savings and the gloom and doom forecast of a deep recession, you are apt to find many Christians looking to heaven and saying, “God, why are you letting this happen?” Some in intense bitterness, throw up their hands and say, “What’s the use? What has serving God gotten me?”

Or the other thing that can happen is that in difficult times, dedicated Christians will draw closer to God. They realize that a wise person is one who recognizes where and in whom his strength and safety lies. Bear in mind that Christians are not promised a life of satisfaction but rather one of contentment. David asked when would he be satisfied. He answered his own questions by saying, “when I awake, with thy likness” (Psalm 17:15). On the other hand, Paul wrote, “I have learned...to be content” (Phil. 4:11). We see that contentment is learned in the present, while we attain satisfaction in the future.

Like Paul, we should understand that on the road of life, there will not always be green lights and blue skies. Rather, life runs the gamut of experiences from bad to good and these are common to everyone. Paul describes these experiences with the words of contrast— abased (humbled, brought low) / abound (buoyed on and up); full (supplied in abundance) / hungry (to crave); abound (to have a superabundance) / suffer need (to be destitute). Paul said there were times when his life was really good, and then would come times when things were really bad, but through it all he had learned to be content regardless of how life flowed. How could Paul possibly say that? Here’s how. He said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phi. 4:13). He could not do it on his own.
(To be Continued)